This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognizing you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting. We do not share any your subscription information with third parties. It is used solely to send you notifications about site content occasionally.

Videos

John and Dr. Sellman delve into the roots and risks of high blood pressure and how you can bring it down yourself with diet, lifestyle, supplement, and fitness changes. There is also a new formula on the market that is helping people reduce their high blood pressure by as much as 90 points. Now you have a way to help reduce your blood pressure in order to reduce or even eliminate medications.

Ross Pelton, R.Ph., CCN author of The Pill Problem delves into the history of hormone based birth control, spermicides, and much more as we explore the long list of debilitating side effects which even include death. Of course we do offer information on a new, exciting, safe, and effective contraceptive that has been on the market now for over 3 and a half years with no reported pregnancies. If you would like to try Smart Women's Choice yourself you can get free shipping and handling and a 10% discount if you use the coupon code NOPILL when checking out at Smart Women's Choice.

Today John talks with Ira Antelis, founder of 120 LifeTM. 120 LifeTM is the first functional drink created from a mixture of six natural ingredients, each shown in clinical studies to promote normal blood pressure. With 120 Life you can normalize your blood pressure naturally. 120 LifeTM can help lower your blood pressure so you can reduce, or even eliminate, high blood pressure medications.

This year alone there have been two FDA and Health Canada recalls of high blood pressure medication. Why take the chance of sometimes dangerous side effects from medications when you now have a natural product that can not only reduce your blood pressure but offer other beneficial side effects.

Ira Antelis tells us how he came to develop the formula in response to his own need to reduce his high blood pressure. The ingredients have all been clinically studied and proven to help lower blood pressure.

Lastly, as Ira points out in the interview, 120 LifeTM may not work for everyone. If you find your body does not benefit from 120 LifeTM you can get a 100% refund.

One of our favorite foods with the staff at TotalHealth magazine is hemp. Hemp seeds definitely fall into the category of "superfoods." There are so many benefits to adding shelled hemp seeds to your diet. This interview took place at Expo West in Anaheim. John has fun with Sean Mcbride as they explore the benefits of hemp foods and talk about Manitoba Harvest's approach to providing great nutrition through a well-researched product line. Everything you wanted to know about Hemp Foods but were afraid to ask.

Something to cackle about

Chicken is the most common type of poultry in the world and Ecuador is no exception. That being said, there is no lack of organic free-range chickens (Pollo de Campo) here in Ecuador.

Chicken has been domesticated and consumed as food for thousands of years. There are many varieties of chicken, including free-range chicken, organic chicken, and conventional chicken - the difference is the basis of their breeding. Let's take a quick look at the differences:

Free-range chicken, as the term implies, is allowed to roam freely in the pastures;

Conventional chicken, which is also the most controversial, is kept in cages and not allowed to move freely. Conventional chicken is injected with hormones to speed its growth and make it unnaturally big. In addition, non-organic chicken is generally injected with antibiotics to avoid disease in crowded cages - these chicken varieties are usually kept in unhygienic and unhealthy conditions and should be avoided at all cost.

Of the three, organic chicken is the most expensive because it is bred freely and is allowed to eat only organically prepared food, as per USDA standards. It is kept in healthy and clean conditions and allowed to grow naturally without any medications to disturb its hormone cycle.

"USDA Organic" chickens are allowed access to the outdoors; they are given antibiotics only to prevent pain or death, after which they are no longer considered organic. One study found that organic chicken contained 38 percent more heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

The health benefits of organic chicken include its ability to provide a good supply of protein, essential vitamins, and minerals. It also aids in weight loss, regulating cholesterol and blood pressure, and reducing the risk of cancer.

Crusty bread, for serving (optional) - I like to serve it on a bed of lightly steamed zucchini noodles.

* Combine equal amounts of dried - rosemary, marjoram, thyme, savory, sage, oregano, and basil - then measure the amount in the recipe. Pulverize to a powder either in a mortar and pestle or in a spice/coffee grinder. If using fresh herbs, you'll have to use about double the quantity in the recipe. NOTE: I make several spice blends in advance and keep in air-tight spice containers or jars to save time. In future issues, I'll share some of my other nightshade-free spice blends.

** You can also use dried tart cherries and reconstitute in water overnight then drain and use as indicated.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Drizzle 1 tablespoon of oil onto a rimmed baking sheet, or oven-safe bakeware, evenly spread it out and coat the bottom of the pan.

Along with the Italian seasoning blend, sprinkle 1 tablespoon salt and a few grinds of pepper to taste onto the same baking sheet.

Scatter the cherries on the baking sheet/bakeware and shake back and forth so they become evenly coated in the oil and seasonings.

Arrange the chicken in the center of the baking sheet/bakeware, pushing the cherries out to the perimeter, and drizzle the chicken with the remaining two tablespoons of oil.

Bake until the cherries are soft, blistered and begin to burst, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the balsamic vinegar to a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to medium and simmer until the vinegar has reduced by half and is thick enough to coat back of the spoon, 7 to 8 minutes. NOTE: Do not leave unattended or it will become like taffy, you want it thick but not where it crystallizes - it will thicken as it cools. I make a larger batch of this ahead and keep in a jar refrigerated. When ready to use simply leave out at room temperature, or gently warm, so you can easily spread over the chicken dish or use on salads - lasts easily about 3 months refrigerated.

Remove the baking sheet/dish from the oven and drape a slice of mozzarella over each chicken breast.

Bake until the cheese melts and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast has reached 160 degrees F, 5 to 7 minutes (the chicken will carryover cook to 165 F).

Sprinkle the chicken and cherries with the basil and drizzle with the balsamic reduction sauce - spoon the collected pan juices over the entire chicken dish.

Serve on a bed of arugula and with gluten-free crusty bread to mop up the pan juices.

Overview of Organic Chicken Health Benefits

High Protein Content
Chicken breast, with 31 grams of protein per 100 grams, is one of the best foods for protein. Protein plays an important role in our diet. It is made of amino acids - the building blocks of our muscles. Generally, the recommended amount of daily protein requirement is 1 gram per 1 kg of body weight or 0.4 g of protein per pound of body weight. For athletes, the daily requirement of protein is about 0.6 g to 0.9 g per pound. For women over 60, it's recommended to consume more to help avoid loss of muscle tone, an example is 0.5 - 0.6 gr of lean protein daily.

Rich in Vitamins & Minerals
Chicken is not only a good source of protein but is also very rich in vitamins and minerals. For example, the B vitamins in it are useful for preventing cataracts and skin disorders, boosting immunity, eliminating weakness, regulating digestion, and improving the nervous system. They are also helpful in preventing migraine, heart disorders, gray hair, high cholesterol, and diabetes.

Vitamin D in chicken helps calcium absorption and bone strengthening;

Vitamin A helps in building eyesight;

Minerals such as iron are helpful for hemoglobin formation, muscle activity, and eliminating anemia;

Weight Loss
Diets with high levels of quality protein have been known to be effective in reducing weight - chicken has been one of the main contenders in weight loss. Studies and trials show that significant weight control was observed in people who regularly ate chicken, particularly the breast - attributed to its high protein content and low calories.

Control of Blood Pressure
Chicken consumption has been found to be useful in controlling blood pressure as well. This was observed in people with hypertension and in many African Americans, though the diet was also comprised of nuts, low-fat dietary products, vegetables, and fruits.

Reduced Cancer Risk
Studies show that in non-vegetarians, higher consumption of red meat, pork/ham increased the risk of colorectal cancer, while in chicken and fish eaters, the risk of developing this cancer in later life was reduced - assuming the chicken is organic free-range. Chicken is also believed to reduce the risk of colon cancer.

Reduced Cholesterol
The amount of saturated fat and cholesterol found in red meat such as beef, pork, and lamb are much higher than the levels found in chicken, fish, and vegetables. Therefore, the American Heart Association advises consuming chicken or fish instead of red meat for a lowered risk of cholesterol and subsequent heart disease development.

Treatment of Common Cold
Intake of warm chicken soup also provides relief from common cold, including symptoms of a congested nose and sore throat. My Jewish friends know this as "Jewish Penicillin" and I couldn't agree more, it's my go-to if I feel vulnerable, extra tired or when traveling. Here's some perspective that validates why this is so effective for common viruses...AND no, it's not just old-wives-tales.

Historical Perspective:

Jewish folklore about chicken soup is closely tied to the central European medical history of chicken soup. The Greek physician Galen, in the second century AD, recommended chicken soup as a cure for migraine, leprosy, constipation, and fever.

A few centuries later, in the Babylonian Talmud, a story refers to the chicken of Rabbi Abba (175-247) that when cooked, served as a general remedy.

Towards the end of the Middle Ages, the Jewish philosopher and physician, Moses Maimonides (1135-1204), recommended chicken soup for the weak and the sick; with great success.

Chicken noodle soup is regarded as a therapeutic dish in several cultures, including Jewish-American and Chinese communities where traditional medicine is practiced.

Although researchers have not been able to determine the cause of the alleged positive effects of chicken soup, several studies have confirmed that it DOES help unblock congested noses and throats.

Chicken is especially rich in a compound called carnosine, and it's this that studies suggest helps reduce that stuffy, congested feeling in your nose and throat. It's thought that carnosine minimizes inflammation in the upper respiratory tract by stopping the migration of white blood cells. Studies show that a hearty bowl of chicken soup may help you clear nasal congestion and have a mild anti-inflammatory effect that can help ease cold symptoms and body aches.

There you have it, one more way to use parts of your chicken, Naturally, From My Kitchen to Yours, Dr. Gloria

NEWS FLASH: Ready to learn more about simple recipes that can give you what I call the Anti-Inflammation Advantage? Download your free 40+ page cookbook The Anti-Inflammation Recipe Sampler at drgloriaskitchen.com/totalhealth/.

Mark April 2019 on your calendar when I'll be able to literally take you by the hand and lead you step-by-step through an entire library of anti-inflammatory meals that are easy to prepare and delicious! Stay tuned!

Pinellia Combination is a Chinese herbal mix. This formula contains ginseng, ginger, jujube, coptis, and scute, along with pinellia, and is for vomiting in pets.

Because of the Chinese diagnosis and classification of diseases, the ingredients in each formula may vary. Individual Chinese pharmacists include herbs in their tented formulas based upon their experience. However, they can compound formulas to the needs of an individual pet.

For example, a Western diagnosis of allergies allows a selection of treatment based upon this diagnosis. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), diagnosis and treatment are based upon the need to rebalance the patient so the individual, not the disease, is treated. As an example, with TCM we might be concerned about selecting herbs to circulate Qi, nurture Yin, or invigorate Yang. This system has been used for thousands of years, even prior to the advent of Western medicine, and the herbal treatments have been passed down through time.

This doesn't mean Chinese herbal formulas cannot be used based upon a Western diagnosis, only that if the herbal formula doesn't work, it might indicate the need for another formula or a correct TCM diagnosis so that the correct remedy can be selected.

Herbs are usually supplied in powder or capsule form; tinctures can also be found. Many products made for humans can be used in pets. Unfortunately, the "correct" dosage for the pet has not been determined for many herbs, and clinical experience and extrapolation from human data is often used. The lower dosage is usually used and dosage increased if needed. Compared to traditional drug therapy, herbal treatments usually take longer (several weeks or longer) before an effect is seen. As with Western herbal therapy, quality control in the manufacturing of the product used is important, and only herbs from reliable companies should be used. The following guidelines serve as a starting point for herbal therapy.

Dosages
Use 1 gram per 20 pounds, 2 to 3 times daily of concentrated herbs for dogs and cats; 4 grams of fresh herbs/20 pounds, 2 to 3 times daily for dogs and cats; tinctures 5 to 10 drops per 20 pounds, 2 to 3 times daily for dogs and cats.

Alternately, some herbalists recommend extrapolation based on weight. Since human doses are based on a 150-pound male, a recommended dose of 3 capsules given 3 times daily for this 150-pound male would extrapolate to 1 capsule given 3 times daily for a 50-pound dog. There are some suggestions that dogs and cats require more herb per pound of body weight than humans. This would supplest a 10-pound cat should receive 20 percent of the recommended human dosage, whereas a 25-pound dog should receive 25 percent of the human dosage.

Safety Issues
While many herbs are used safely in pets, remember many potent drugs (such as digitalis, vincristine, or aspirin) were first described in plants and herbs, and have actually been extracted from plants and herbs. This means it is essential you work with your holistic veterinarian before using herbal remedies in your pet. For example, a report of a Chinese herbal cream used on people for skin disorders showed a high level of the steroid dexamethasone in the product, with the highest levels in the products recommended for children. Other reports of the product ma huang, which contains the potent drug ephedra, revealed varying levels of ephedra in a number of products tested. Stories such as these reinforce the need for proper medical care and advice when using complementary therapies in pets.

According to scientists at the University of Minnesota the percentage of the population that smokes has not changed for more than a decade. Dr. Harry Lando expressed real concern about this fact recently when he said, "I have become discouraged that we can't improve our success rates beyond a certain point. It's critical to look for alternatives for people who are simply not quitting."

The Healthy Smoker

Dr. Lando is definitely right, not enough people are quitting smoking, but it's not because people aren't trying to quit. Over 90 percent of smokers say they want to quit and yet of those who try 70 percent are smoking again within three months and 90 percent are smoking again within 18 months. Perhaps Mark Twain said it best when he is reported to have said, "I have no problem quitting. I've done it hundreds of times." This echoes the experience of most smokers who will tell you they have tried everything and nothing works. Only 10 percent of smokers who try to quit each year are successful.

Numerous scientists have tackled this nicotine addiction problem over the past two decades with very limited success. The nicotine patch was supposed to be the "big answer" but a study from the University of Oxford, Institute of Health Sciences found that only eight percent of smokers in their trial were still abstinent after eight years. Researchers at Dundee University in Scotland may have found out why the patch and other nicotine replacement programs don't work very well. Researchers in Dundee's Division of Pathology and Neuroscience's say smokers get short-term relief from their anxiety because nicotine temporarily increases levels of dopamine, one of the "feel good" hormones. However, the nicotine patch only causes a small amount of dopamine to be released, not enough to eliminate the desire for more nicotine.

The most recent cessation strategy from the pharmaceutical perspective is injections of drugs that block the delivery of nicotine to the brain's nicotine receptor sites. The Anticholinergic Block Method uses atropine and scopolamine to intercept nicotine's delivery to neuroreceptors, thus denying the brain the addictive fix it is seeking. This approach is only slightly different from other drugs in pill or shot form which, when exposed to nicotine causes the smoker to experience nausea, thus encouraging him or her to avoid this unpleasant experience in the future.

Both nausea and the interceptor drug approach do not address the cravings, which will continue to occur as long as the brain is denied the hormones that it needs to function. After several days or weeks on these drugs, most smokers who are trying to quit will simply override the internal message and get the nicotine fix they need. The brain is wired for survival and it will find ways to by-pass the messages delivered by these prescription drugs. As the brain makes these adjustments it would take higher and higher doses of any medication in order to reactivate the feelings of nausea or the interruptions to the neuroregulators in the brain. This is why the number of cigarettes needed increases over time and why the dosage of almost any medication must be increased over time in order to achieve their intended health stabilizing effects. The body eventually adapts and begins to neutralize those substances that it feels are not natural and beneficial to it. In fact, most medications are difficult for the liver to process, which causes an inordinate amount of the body's antioxidants and energy to be used in the detoxification of these pharmaceuticals.

The various stop smoking formulas just reviewed ignore the basic truth that the brain is a complex biochemical factory that requires certain hormones and nutrients in order to function at an optimal level. Hormones like dopamine, serotonin, and tryptophan are vital to the maintenance of stable moods and clarity of focus. These hormones are naturally produced in the body from the nutrients we consume and it is an imbalance or inadequacy in certain nutrients that often causes a shortage in these feel-good hormones.

Two pioneers in the field of biochemistry and nutritional factors affecting that bio-chemistry were Roger J. Williams, Ph.D., author of Biochemical Individuality: The Basics of the Genetolrophic Concept and Carl C. Pfeiffer, Ph.D., M.D., author of Nutrition and Mental Illness: An Orthomolecular Approach to Balancing Body Chemistry. Dr. Williams was one of the first scientists to identify genetic differences in individuals such as the potential for large variations of islets in a person's pancreas. (Can range from 200,000 to 1,200,000 islets.) Dr. Pfeiffer took this concept to the next level in terms of mental illness by identifying that some people needed larger amounts of certain nutrients than others. Dr. Pfeiffer was able to cure many patients with mental illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia by addressing their deficiencies of zinc, magnesium, manganese, vitamin B6 and other nutrients.

These pioneers paved the way for modern-day doctors who have built on this orthomolecular science. Michael Lesser, M.D. has developed special diets for every type of mood disorder and shares them in his book The Brain Chemistry Diet. Joan Mathews Larson, Ph.D., has been helping people resolve their mental illness and addiction challenges at her clinic in Minneapolis for over 15 years. She shares her experiences and protocols in best-selling books such as Depression Free Naturally and Seven Weeks to Sobriety.

We can learn a lot from these brilliant doctors and scientists when it comes to addressing the addictive challenge facing smokers who would like to quit. Studies have found smokers to be deficient in many nutrients including vitamin C, which is destroyed at the rate of 25-50 mg for every cigarette smoked. Smokers are also deficient in zinc, B vitamins, magnesium, amino acids, and omega 3 fatty acids. These nutrients are crucial to cellular health in the brain and throughout the body. One of the most critical unmet needs are the nutrients that produce serotonin. Some scientists (at Scotland's Dundee University) believe that boosting serotonin levels would be far more effective in the reduction of addictive cravings than medication or nicotine substitutes. The problem is these scientists want to stimulate this serotonin production with yet another drug instead of using a natural approach.

Serotonin is produced when foods rich in the amino acid tryptophan (turkey and almonds) are eaten and then converted to a smaller substance called 5htp so it can pass the blood-brain barrier. Once in the brain 5htp is then converted to serotonin by the hypothalamus and then becomes available to the brain's neurotransmitters. This process has been explained in a simplified way here and should not be misconstrued to imply that eating lots of turkey and almonds will eliminate the craving for nicotine. To accomplish a steady and adequate supply of serotonin it is not only necessary to eat tryptophan-rich foods, it is also necessary to eat quality complex carbohydrates like oatmeal and brown rice because the tryptophan needs a steady release of insulin from the pancreas in order to get the glucose needed for the conversion to 5htp. The bottom line for any smoker who wants to quit permanently, and become healthier in the process; there is a clear and scientifically proven way to accomplish this goal with the help of good nutrition and other natural therapies.

The program to accomplish this type of healthy smoking cessation is described in my new book The Healthy Smoker: How To Quit Smoking By Becoming Healthier First. This title may shock some readers, but it is based on my personal knowledge of several people who managed to stay very healthy in spite of their smoking habit. They accomplished this amazing feat by eating a very healthy diet with lots of vegetables, fruits, complex carbohydrates, quality protein, and essential fatty acids as well as exercising daily, practicing stress reduction and taking supplements. Some of them danced and others walked or took yoga classes. When they were tested to determine their levels of oxygen and antioxidants, as well as their blood chemistry profile, they consistently scored better than almost all non-smokers tested. They were surprisingly healthy smokers.

This is not to suggest that anyone should justify smoking because they can become healthier following a certain diet or exercising more. There are still very unacceptable risks for anyone who smokes. What it does suggest is that previous smoking cessation programs have likely failed because they did not address the need to detoxify the body, improve nutritional intake, and increase the smoker's level of physical activity.

There are many other reasons to engage in this more complete health improvement program beyond the benefits of reversing the addictive hold of nicotine. People who are finally able to quit become healthier day-by-day with the absence of smoking, but it can take 10 years or more to return the body to a state of health equivalent to that of a non-smoker. In fact, many smokers who quit still suffer heart attacks or get cancer due to the damage done to their bodies while they were smoking. A much healthier diet, the right supplements, exercise, and periodic detoxification can decrease this recovery time, and it can reduce the probability that some disease will occur in the future. If you are going to quit, why not get all of the benefits instead of just some of them?

Blue light-which comes from sunlight, digital devices (computers, tablets, smartphones, etc.) and artificial light,1,2,3,4,5,6 penetrates deeply into the human eye and has great potential to damage retinal tissue.7,8,9,10 This ongoing exposure to blue light (regardless of the source) is a major risk factor for various retinal pathologies.11,12,13,14 In fact, research15 has demonstrated that headaches, eye fatigue, disturbed visual acuity, mucosal dryness, and eye burning and other indications of eye strain are associated with the daily use of video display terminals on computers and other electronic devices, and are common with three or more hours/day of exposure. Furthermore, some research indicates blue light exposure from sunlight is a risk factor for the development of age-related macular degeneration.16,17 Such visual health-related symptoms in adults and children resulting from blue light digital exposure is now referred to as Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS).18 Perhaps most alarming, children may be at higher risk for blue light retinal damage than adults, since their eyes absorb more blue light than adults from digital device screens.19,20

Children's exposure to blue light
More than 70 percent of American adults report their children receive more than two hours of screen time per day-and among the most popular activities children engage in are playing on a digital device (23.1 percent) and watching TV (20.1 percent). Not surprisingly, American adults report their children experience the following after being exposed to two or more hours of screen time:21

Headaches (8.8%)

Neck/shoulder pain (5%)

Eye strain, dry or irritated eyes (9.1%)

Reduced attention span (15.2%)

Poor behavior (13.3%)

Irritability (13.5%)

Now consider that personal electronic devices are able to stimulate blue-light-sensitive ganglion cell photoreceptors that regulate circadian rhythms.22 As a result, cellular telephone, tablet and personal computer use before bedtime can delay sleep onset, degrade sleep quality and impair alertness the following day.23 Extended use of these devices has also been shown to cause symptoms of dry eyes, blurred vision and headaches.24 Limitation of personal electronic device use before bedtime is recommended to be the most effective method for reducing light-induced sleep disruption in children.

The importance of lutein and zeaxanthin isomers
So besides restricting digital device us, what can concerned parents do to help protect their children's eyes from damaging blue light? Enter lutein and zeaxanthin isomers (rr- and rs-(meso)-zeaxanthin). These carotenoids (related to beta-carotene and lycopene) are found in high concentrations in the part of the retina where they play a critical role in protecting against blue light.25 Furthermore, supplementation with lutein and zeaxanthin isomers can provide substantial protection against blue light damage.

Of all the carotenoids, only lutein and zeaxanthin isomers are located in the eye, and make up the macular pigment. As a result of these carotenoids being yellow, they selectively absorb blue light, which protects the retina from associated damage. In short, they act as primary filters of blue light.

However, the average daily intake of lutein and zeaxanthin in the U.S. is less than 2 mg and less than 0.5 mg, respectively-which is far below the 10-20 mg of lutein and 2-4 mg of zeaxanthin shown in research to be beneficial. That's why supplementation with these carotenoids is so important.

Eye strain, eye fatigue, headache and visual performance

A study conducted at the University of Georgia showed a relationship between exposure to blue light from digital devices and visual performance. They found that supplementing with lutein and zeaxanthin isomers (as Lutemax® 2020 from OmniActive Health Technologies) reduced headaches, eye fatigue, and eye strain. Another double-blind, placebo-controlled, 12-month trial26,27,28 examined the effects of lutein and zeaxanthin isomers (as Lutemax® 2020) versus placebo. Two levels of daily lutein supplementation were used: 10 mg (2 mg Z), and 20 mg (4 mg Z). The results were that both doses significantly improved contrast sensitivity (CS), glare performance, and photo stress recovery (i.e. a clinical procedure measuring the amount of time required for the macula to return to its normal level of function after being exposed to a bright light source). In addition, lutein/zeaxanthin improved levels of BDNF, a neurotrophin that is particularly active in hippocampus, cortex, and basal forebrain-areas that are involved in learning, memory, and higher cognitive processes.29

Stress and health
Another 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial30 was conducted at the University of Georgia in 28 healthy subjects using three different daily dosage levels of lutein and zeaxanthin isomers (as Lutemax® 2020) versus placebo. The three doses of lutein were 6 mg (1.5 mg Z), 10 mg (2 mg Z), and 20 mg (4 mg Z), versus placebo. The results were that supplementation with lutein/zeaxanthin isomers increased the amount of optical pigment density (greater increase with higher doses), which helped subjects maintain a lower psychological stress profile (p = 0.0087). After 12 weeks of lutein supplementation, psychological stress levels were found to be reduced significantly. The placebo group did not change in this regard. Furthermore, those with higher optical pigment density tended to have fewer health-related problems, such as being sick less often and suffering less from allergies (p = 0.002). After 12 weeks of lutein supplementation, each group exhibited a significant reduction in health-related problems (6 mg: p = 0.041; 10 mg: p = 0.029; 20 mg: p = 0.047).

Quality of sleep
The primary function of melatonin, a hormone, secreted by the pineal gland,31 is regulation of the body's circadian rhythm, and sleep patterns.32,33 However, too much light exposure, particularly at night, can inhibit melatonin secretion and interfere with sleep.34,35 Even blue light from smart phones can negatively impact sleep with nighttime exposure.36 But lutein and zeaxanthin isomers can help. A 3-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 45 healthy individuals (the first of a two-part study37) found that 20 mg lutein and 4 mg zeaxanthin isomers daily (as Lutemax® 2020) significantly improved overall sleep quality (p = 0.0063), with no changes in the placebo group. The second 6-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 34 healthy individuals found similar results.

Delivery forms
Generally, lutein/zeaxanthin isomers are readily available as capsule or tablet supplements for adults. Children, however, cannot easily swallow capsules or tablets. Consequently, chewable tablets or gummies are preferable lutein/zeaxanthin isomer delivery forms for children. Gummies, in particular, are likely the best choice as children tend to see gummies as a treat, rather than treatment-so to speak.

Conclusion
Blue light, especially from digital devices, has the potential to damage retinal tissue and cause a variety of eye-related problems, including eye strain, eye fatigue, headache, visual impairment, psychological stress, and poor sleep quality. This is particularly true in children since their eyes absorb more blue light than adults. The good news is that daily supplementation with lutein (10-20 mg) and zeaxanthin isomers (2-4 mg)-most likely in a gummy supplement-can help reduce these risks and support eye health.

The “big four” hunger hormones that work in synergy with each other (and all the other hormones as well) are adiponectin, cholecystokinin (CCK), leptin and ghrelin. Similar to how the thyroid hormone controls metabolism, and insulin and cortisol are driven by stress, these hunger hormones affect appetite.

Although they are relative newcomers to the weight loss game, the hunger hormones can also be set straight by the right Smart Fats and some healthy lifestyle adjustments, like learning how to snooze to lose! By resetting your hunger hormones, you will effortlessly increase insulin sensitivity, stabilize blood sugar levels and preserve more lean muscle mass while you fast track weight loss.

Best of all, you are seriously in for a treat when you experience how to tame the hunger hormone monster. You see, the Smart Fats that are best known for the satiety factor are the monounsaturated (omega-9) foods and oils from olives, avocados, and macadamias, as well as a variety of other nuts, especially pine nuts. After consuming these tempting foods and delectable oils from which they are derived, you will feel so much fuller faster which keeps hunger at bay even longer. Since mouthwatering oils and fats are the real flavor carriers of food, Smart Fats really go a long way in elevating cooking into an art as well as science.

Heart Smart
It is also worthwhile pointing out that the monounsaturated fats have been well recognized for their ability to lower heart disease risk more effectively than statin drugs—to the tune of 70 percent. This is documented in the landmark Lyon Diet Heart Study with over 600 individuals following the Mediterranean diet, which provides high amounts of the marvelous monos. The high monounsaturated Mediterranean diet has not only been shown to lower heart disease risk, but is also linked to a lower incidence of cancer as well as a longer life span.

Before You Go Nuts
Besides olives, avocados, macadamia nuts, pine nuts and their respective oils, there are a number of other nuts and seeds, which boast a high monounsaturated content and can satisfy hunger. These include cashews, peanuts (although technically a legume), almonds and pecans—all absolutely delicious when enjoyed in moderation and tossed in stir-frys, salads, trail mix and used as coatings. But, I have found in working with thousands of clients over the years that many individuals have a notoriously hard time digesting them (think gas and heartburn), unless the seeds and nuts are soaked, sprouted and/or fermented to deactivate enzyme inhibitors. And then there’s the issue of aflatoxins (a mold that can be carcinogenic) found in peanuts and peanut butter—as well as other foods.

However, the main concern I have with lots of nuts in the diet is the high arginine content. Arginine is an amino acid that protects the arteries, enabling them to become more pliable, and that’s a good thing. But, on the other hand, too much arginine in the diet—which is easy to achieve when you go overboard with nuts—can feed viral conditions. So I purposefully have gone easy on overly recommending lots of nuts and nut butters, although you will see a smattering of nutty suggestions in the Smart Eating section.

That being said, as far as I am concerned, the monounsaturated oils, in general, are really good news because they will not only stoke our metabolic fires but can also take the “heat” in cooking as well. Some of them have a higher than average smoke point—especially avocado and macadamia nut oils at approximately 400 degrees F which makes them ideal for frying!

Hunger Hormone # 1– Adiponectin

The hunger hormone Adiponectin is balanced by monounsaturated omega-rich foods and oils:

Olives and Olive Oil

Avocados and Avocado Oil

Macadamias and Macadamia Nut Oil

Adiponectin is a real hormone game changer that you may not be very familiar with. It is a big player in firing up belly fat burn and is known as the body’s “fat burning torch.” THAT says it all. And believe it or not, this special super hormone that flips your body’s fat burning switch is already circulating in your bloodstream because it is made in your fat cells. And the more you have of it, the more fat you will burn for fuel, especially from the abdominal area. It’s no surprise then that low levels of adiponectin have been linked with higher levels of obesity and insulin resistance. To kick-start your levels of adiponectin, stoke those fat burning fires, and improve total health, let’s take an even closer look at the monounsaturated omegas which can boost your body’s levels. These magnificent monos can lower inflammation, lessen cellular damage, spike antioxidant absorption by 400 percent, and decrease your body fat (especially troublesome belly fat) while protecting your heart and liver.

The Incredible Olive
Probably the best known adiponectin boosters are two of the all-time great superfoods: olives and extra virgin olive oil. Olives are a real standout in and of themselves. They have been overshadowed by the delectable oil that they have provided since biblical days, but suffice it to say, they also pack a considerable health punch for modern day Americans because of their anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular benefits. Extra virgin olive oil is considered by many to be the healthiest and tastiest oil in the world. The benefits of extra virgin olive oil are unrivaled, and research reveals more benefits nearly every day. After all, the Greeks, Turks, Italians, French and Spanish all have a diet that is at least 40 percent fat, most of it from omega-rich sources, yet these populations are slim and boast the lowest rates of heart disease in the world. Many of the health-promoting effects of the Mediterranean diet have been credited to the addition of a healthy dose of olive oil at every meal.

As a rich source of omega-9 fatty acids, olive oil is also known to have a number of positive effects throughout the body including lowering the risk of some cancers. In fact, the latest research suggests that adding a mere four tablespoons of olive oil a day to a Mediterranean diet slashes the risk of invasive breast cancer by a whopping 68 percent.

Olive oil also prevents flare-ups of certain autoimmune diseases, speeding cell regeneration and wound healing, aiding the body in eliminating microbial infections, as well as reducing inflammation. One of its primary ingredients, a substance known as oleocanthanal, has even been called an alternative to Ibuprofen.

Just keep in mind that not all olive oils are created equal and many have been cut with other less desirable oils like canola and soy. I try to look for oils that have been given the green light by research studies or have the California Olive Oil Council’s seal of approval. You can also test the purity of any olive oil by popping it into the fridge. If it doesn’t congeal, then chances are it has been cut by a less desirable polyunsaturated oil.

The Amazing Avocado
The fat in avocados and avocado oil is another source of adiponectin-nourishing monounsaturates. Among their other healthy perks, avocados possess the uncanny ability to fire up fat burning—to the tune of six pounds in two months. And, the monounsaturated fat content can hold you over for a good three hours!

Surprisingly high in potassium, a typical avocado contains 12 to 17 grams of fiber. With an incredibly high smoke point of 520 degrees F—the highest smoke point of any of the Smart Fats—avocado oil is ideal for searing, frying, and sautéing. In addition, it contains high levels of beta-sitosterol, which is a type of plant sterol that can lower cholesterol and is helpful in protecting prostate health.

Their rich carotenoid content makes them a food pharmacy for your skin, eyes and heart. As a potent antiinflammatory, this oil can also help prevent damage to arterial walls, which can lower the risk of heart disease due to plaque deposits. Less inflammation helps to keep blood pressure at optimal levels as well.

Avocado oil is also a great source of vitamin E. This fat-soluble vitamin has been shown to rev up your immune system, improve skin and eye health, as well as give your digestion a much-needed boost to remove toxins from the body.

Last but not least, this marvelous mono is filled with chlorophyll—a natural source of magnesium; one of the best substances to detoxify heavy metals like mercury and lead from the body. Chlorophyll molecules contain magnesium ions at their core, which have the ability to bind heavy metals and escort them out of the system.

Mad About Macadamia
Another source of hunger-inhibiting adiponectin are macadamia nuts and macadamia nut oil. They do double duty for your metabolism—as a source of omega-7 and as a hunger controller. This rich and buttery-smooth little gem is one of the most popular nuts around and my favorite snack for quick fuel.

The oil that comes from these nuts is pretty incredible. The fatty acid composition of macadamia nut oil makes it perfect to use in many recipes, especially high-heat cooking. This oil is nearly 80 percent monounsaturated with very little polyunsaturated content and even trumps olive oil—which contains anywhere from 70–75 percent monounsaturates.

Since macadamia nut oil has such an extremely high oleic acid content, it can be used to help balance your and omega-6 essential fatty acids are perfectly balanced which makes it an optimal cooking choice—it doesn’t become rancid like so many other Smart Fats used for high-heat cooking.

It also has a lot of essential fatty acid protective antioxidants to keep your body in radiant health, including tocotrienols. As we all know, antioxidants neutralize free radicals, the harmful byproducts of cellular metabolism that can cause a vast range of chronic diseases.

Some of the other health benefits of macadamia nut oil include the lowering of triglyceride levels, increased energy, improved digestion, enhanced bone health, stimulation of circulation and the optimization of immunity.

Smart Tips: Adiponectin
Do keep these takeaway tips in mind when trying to shore up your adiponectin.

1. Opt for the olives and olive oil. Olives come in many different varieties like the Spanish-style green olives, and Kalamatastyle olives. Greek-style black are my favorites and come devoid of the preservatives and additives in some of the others on the market.

They are a delightful addition to any salad, sauce, entrée or side and I love them on a gluten-free pizza.

Use extra virgin olive oil to dress up salads and for drizzling on cooked foods. It may not be the best oil for high heat cooking, but you just can’t beat it when it comes to salad dressing. Drizzle it on your salad and you’ll trigger the production of adiponectin to help keep you satisfied for up to four hours! One of my all-time favorites is a mixture of one part fresh lemon juice to two parts olive oil with lots of fresh garlic, parsley, and a dash of mustard powder and Celtic sea salt. Simply elegant!

2. Add back the avocado and avocado oil. I adore avocados in smoothies, as a buttery rich spread on sandwiches or crackers, cut up in cubes for salads, and as a dip like guacamole. The oil is handy for use on the grill especially when you need to brush veggies, chicken, fish or meat. It is simply the best for making food nice and crispy when cooking at higher temperatures.

3. Increase your dietary magnesium intake to maximize adiponectin. Eat more pumpkin seeds, almonds and green leafy veggies like escarole, romaine lettuce and kale. Consider taking a targeted magnesium supplement with the most highly absorbable forms of magnesium for assimilation and utilization. Always aim for a two-to-one ratio in favor of magnesium to calcium. I’m a big fan of Mag-Key and think you will be too as it contains the glycinate, taurinate, malate and orotate forms of magnesium for muscle, brain, and heart health.

4. Last but not least, you might consider engaging in a new approach, which is known as intermittent fasting. This combination of fasting and eating has been demonstrated to increase adiponectin levels big time. Take a look at my One-Day Miracle Juice Fast in The Fast Track Detox Diet for one of the healthiest fasts out there.

Boosting your levels of adiponectin may be the missing link to help you finally take control of your weight and get off the weight gain merry-go-round once and for all.

We've known for decades that spinal x-rays, MRIs and CT scans add very little information about back pain.

They most often DON'T tell doctors whether the pain is coming from the spine or from disc, arthritic or bone disease. (Though they MAY reveal if the problem can be fixed with a chiropractic adjustment.)

Research also shows that, if back pain is present, radiologists tend to interpret x-ray results as confirming the presence of a host of horrific (and scary-sounding) problems. But if those same radiologists are shown x-rays and MRIs from both healthy people and people with back pain-they can't tell one group from the other.

Nonetheless, doctors continue to scare people by telling them how horrible their x-rays look. And they continue to operate on people based on those x-rays-even though the x-ray results are often MEANINGLESS, with much of the back pain coming from muscular and ligament problems that are totally reversible WITHOUT surgery.

The same folly applies to x-rays for arthritis. An exception? X-rays for rheumatoid arthritis may show the scope of and severity of the disease, and help guide how aggressive treatment should be.

Now, another study shows the same type of radiological "madness" for TMJ/jaw joint dysfunction-with doctors reaching conclusions that simply aren't true-and unnecessarily operating on people based on these. Yet another study showing that X rays simply do not tell if the jaw joint is the source of jaw pain. And, here's a very practical way to protect yourself from unnecessary procedures based on mistaken conclusions.

In the study, CT scans of the jaw joint showed that bony/arthritic changes on CT scan were VERY POORLY correlated with pain and other clinical signs and symptoms of TMJ. To put it more bluntly: the x-ray changes were mostly meaningless.

But that didn't stop doctors from showing many patients the x-rays…telling them they had jaw joint problems…and recommending surgery to relieve their symptoms. Scary!

The good news? More often, the pain comes from tight jaw muscles such as the masseter muscles, which can generate as much as 1,000 pounds of pressure per square inch during chewing. And it's EASY to tell if the pain is coming from the muscle rather than the joint. Here's how:

Put your thumb in the side of your mouth, aiming the tip of your thumb at the ear on the side that hurts.

Put your index finger over your outer cheek, pressing it against the tip of your thumb.

Using your thumb, find the area of your cheek where it gives way to a thicker area of muscle, about two inches wide, in front of your ear.

Squeeze up and down that thickened area between your thumb and index finger, pressing HARD.

If it hurts like the dickens, reproducing the TMJ-type pain, it proves the pain is coming from the MUSCLE-not the joint.

For relief, the muscle simply needs to be RELEASED.

The S.H.I.N.E. Protocol (www.Vitality101.com ) helps a lot with that release. So does applying creams containing anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxing medications (ask your local compounding pharmacist) topically over the muscle, 3 times a day, for 6 weeks. (Then use it as needed.) The cream is available by prescription from ITC Pharmacy (Phone: 303-663-4224). Your doctor can call in the prescription, to be mailed to you, and speak with the pharmacist, to get more information on the gel.

In addition, remember that natural herbal mixes, such as End Pain and Curamin, can be dramatically beneficial for most kinds of pain!

More good news? The jaw muscles seem to be involved with "setting" tension in other muscles throughout the body. When the jaw muscles start to relax, other pains go away as well!

Infertility is becoming widespread these days but in the early 1900's, families with five children or more were commonplace. A century later, we now have fertility clinics available to women who want to just have one child. Infertility treatment is expensive and painful for couples who often become desperate after years of failed treatments. One common overlooked reason is low DHEA levels. DHEA is short for DeHydroEpiAndrosterone.

This is the "fountain of youth" hormone and it's a natural adrenal hormone which peaks at age 25, then steadily declines as we age. DHEA can be converted into testosterone and estrogen. Less DHEA means less of these sex hormones. Blood or saliva tests are available to gauge DHEA levels which must be in balance with other adrenal hormones, especially cortisol. High cortisol will cause you to hold on to belly fat.

Cortisol goes up in response to stress. Remember, these two are supposed to be in balance, like a see-saw. So you can see where I'm going with this. Cortisol climbs up and up in many women given the fast paced 21st century non-stop information overload, lack of sleep, caffeine, work-related stress, financial obligations or relationship stress. When it comes time to have a baby, cortisol could be high while DHEA levels may be seriously tanked! Some signs and symptoms include bad PMS (premenstrual syndrome), fatigue, brain fog, mood swings or high cholesterol.

But wait, the fertility doctor told you it was a low count of eggs! Yes that could be true, it's technically termed "Low Functional Ovarian Reserve" or LFOR, which could occur from aging ovaries. At puberty, you may have had 250,000 to 500,000 eggs, but by age 37 perhaps there are 25,000 eggs, and by the time you hit menopause you may have less than 1,000 eggs. If you have LFOR, a specialist in this field will often complement in-vitro fertilization (IVF) with DHEA supplements and/or testosterone medications. According to a recent study published in the Journal of Ovarian Research research supports it. Female participants received 75 mg of DHEA for three consecutive menstrual cycles prior to IVF experiences. Those who received DHEA had more embryos leading to more successful pregnancies. But don't supplement with DHEA by yourself, dosing is dependent on many factors, especially genes which I study every day.

Your response and metabolism of DHEA is dependent on your personal genetic variants meaning supplementation can be good or bad depending on your genes. Cellular and animal studies show that SNPs in any of the following genes affect your metabolism of DHEA: Aromatase, steroid 5?-reductase, sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG), fragile X mental retardation protein and breast cancer type 1 (BRCA1 gene) can affect levels of androgens in women. Short of screening yourself for all potential genetic variants, I think it's better for you to just do hormonal assessments to see if you have low DHEA or low testosterone.

I've been a pharmacist for 25 years now. Let's face, I know the good, the bad and the ugly drugs. I know we need some of them, and I know that others are not useful, or worse, they are harmful. So today I've decided to share the best remedies that help from head to toe:

Headaches- Taking butterbur (Petasites hybridus) at a dose of 75mg twice daily helps reduce the frequency and intensity of migraines. You can take all the triptan drugs you want (ie Imitrex, Zomig or others) but these drugs usually just reduce pain, sometimes they abort a headache. The butterbur may slash the number of attacks in half. This is HUGE if you have to hold down a job or take care of kiddos. I discussed butterbur and dozens of other solutions my book, Headache Free.

Hypothyroidism- It's impossible to have healthy thyroid function without selenium. Not only will it hinder your ability to make thyroid hormone, it will also stifle your ability to use the hormone inside the cell. There's more about selenium, iodine, B12 and ashwagandha at my website where I archive other articles on thyroid health.

Heart Failure- Niacin (vitamin B3) was found to reduce heart attack and stroke risk in a 2010 study published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Doses vary tremendously, so please do nothing until you have your physician's approval. Niacin causes vasodilation (opens vessels) which reduces arterial pressure. I would be remiss if I didn't mention CoQ10 while discussing the heart or heart failure. CoQ10 also lowers blood pressure. I like about 100 to 200 mg daily but again, please always ask your doctor what's right for you.

Digestive disorders- My number one go-to supplement is probiotics. These improve digestion and support a healthy immune system and mood. Digestive enzymes break down the food you eat into absorbable molecules. For heartburn, I recommend slippery elm or marshmallow root. As for nausea and vomiting, ginger tea is gentle and popular. It's a mild blood thinner though, so be careful. And finally peppermint supplements can help with irritable bowel syndrome. The value of peppermint has been discussed many times, even in the British Medical Journal in 2008.

Bone loss- We all know about calcium. But did you know without enough magnesium, vitamin D or K2, you don't even incorporate the calcium into your bones?! So keep in mind the best bone-building supplements contain key minerals, you don't just push one like calcium all by itself. Natural strontium is another over-the-counter mineral used for bone integrity.

Painful knees- Glucosamine sulfate promotes cartilage formation. Collagen is another supplement that reduces pain in the knee joint of osteoarthritis sufferers. A 2012 study in the Annals of Rheumatic Disease found that losing weight helped reduce the amount of cartilage loss while increasing proteoglycan content (squishiness).

Toenail fungus- Apply essential oil of tea tree, and eliminate all sugars. You should also be checked for diabetes if you have a lot of toenail fungus.

Many of you take bisphosphonate drugs for bone loss and you write to me with complaints. Lawyers handle cases now due to the reports of catastrophic reactions like osteonecrosis or femur fractures. It's a terrible irony.

Here's another idea. Nobiletin. This is different than strontium which I've written about before. Nobiletin is a powerful "polymethoxylated" flavonoid that comes from the white stringy fiber and peel of citrus fruits (termed "pith"). You probably spit that out, throw it away or put it in your compost pile don't you? Tangerines and Mandarin oranges have awesome amounts of nobiletin, however other citrus rinds such as oranges, lemons, and grapefruit also contain nobiletin.

Nobiletin has been researched extensively over the last 10 to 15 years. It positively impacts cholesterol and reduces inflammation. Great news for those struggling with atherosclerosis and heart disease, or those of you supported on statin cholesterol drugs. Nobiletin also blocks the NF kappaB pathway which induces pain. Nobiletin has anti-cancer activity, confers brain protection and improved symptoms of Alzheimer's in an animal model. Since I'm already on a tangent, I'll also tell you that adolescents and adults dealing with acne may benefit by nobiletin because it blocks sebum production. Now, let me circle back to your skeleton.

Bone loss in humans occurs as the result of one of two things. Either your bone cells fail to make new bone, or you break down old bone too quickly. There needs to be a steady balance: Discard old bone, make new bone, discard old bone, make new bone. You probably didn't realize your bones are not solid, they are dynamic throughout your lifetime.

Two major players affect the process of bone building. One is inflammation and the other is estrogen. Chronic low grade inflammation and/or too little estrogen contribute to osteoporosis.

Research published in the Journal of Pharmacological Science showed very promising evidence of nobiletin on bone health. Scientists used rodents that had their ovaries removed (which causes estrogen deficiency). Nobiletin was given, and stopped the progression of osteoporosis. Not only that, it significantly restored bone mass in severely osteroporotic critters!

How you wonder? This natural citrus derived antioxidant suppressed pathways responsible for inflammation, namely the COX2, NF-kappa B, and prostaglandin pathways. Just amazing when you think about the potential harm done by bisphosphonate drugs given by conventional physicians. By no means am I saying an orange a day will keep the hip fracture away! But regular consumption of citrus fruits or pith-derived supplements might help, and can usually be taken with certain medications (not all). Ask doc if it's okay for you, and look online or at health food stores nationwide. It's sold as Sytrinol, or as "citrus bioflavonoids" and I want you to be real careful because some of the products contain "naringen" which comes from grapefruit and this compound can dangerously spike your blood levels of medications. My point is self-treatment with natural dietary supplements -even wonderful ones- may not be right for you. Find yourself a holistic-minded practitioner to ask.

Are you worried about painful cold sores? They are highly contagious. If you kiss someone with a cold sore, or drink from their cup, you could get it too. I don't personally get them, so last week, I inwardly freaked out when the woman who was giving me a much-needed manicure had two large blisters on her lips. This incident made me wonder what I would do if I had these painful sores, and how can I help you with them.

Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV) which belongs to a large family of herpes pathogens which cause chicken pox, shingles or keratitis (can cause corneal blindness). Millions of folks carry herpes viruses, and the cold sores in particular are not only embarrassing, but painful too. Oral herpes causes cold sores on the lips, inside the roof of your mouth or on your gums. Genital herpes causes lesions where the sun don't shine. Either way, ouch!

You can get it if someone touches their sore, then you; you can get it sharing utensils or kissing and making out. Once inside your body, your immune system jumps to it and hopefully it's just a single episode. If your immune system is sluggish, you're in for a lifelong battle with frequent outbreaks. The frequency is impacted by your diet, lifestyle and immune strength (which is dependent on having healthy intestinal flora).

Running yourself into the ground with chronic stress or worry can activate the virus and cause lesions. Pulling all-nighters, eating candy bars, drinking alcohol, smoking, eating white flour goodies and junk food can increase risk. Ingesting foods you are intolerant to, or being deficient in probiotics can increase those flare-ups. Diets high in arginine are thought to activate herpes so avoid avoid all nuts, cashews, chocolate, cereal, lentils and sunflower seeds.

Antiviral drugs like acyclovir or Valtrex are commonly used to treat HSV infections. Unfortunately, there are increasing problems with drug resistance, similar to the problem with antibiotics and superbugs. If you do take the antiviral drug and use them long term, often there are plenty of side effects and potential damage to the kidneys and liver. I'm passionate about natural remedies, so here's a few to ponder:

Lemon balm. I'd make a tea out of this, and drink it. Let the herb steep (not boil) for about 15 minutes then drink. I'd also apply it to your sore with a cotton pad. You can cool the tea first to make it feel better upon application.

Curcumin. It's well known for antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial power but it also fights HSV which means it could help you reduce the frequency and severity of your infection. We have a study to show that. Supplement, or try applying a mini-poultice to your lip sore by mixing turmeric spice with just enough water to form a paste. For extra effect, dump a little curcumin powder from your capsule into the mixture.

Lavender and myrrh. Buy both of those and combine them, apply to the sore. Dilute if it stings.

For more natural remedies, come to my website, www.SuzyCohen.com and sign up for my newsletter. You'll get the longer version of this article with more pain-relieving tips.

Have you ever had a sore throat, been stung by a bee, or twisted your ankle? Do you have arthritis, back pain or headaches? Whenever you are in pain, even post-surgical pain, your body makes compounds in response to the injury which cause temporary redness, heat, swelling, and pain. Then naturally produced enzymes in your body eat up these inflammatory compounds, and that is when you notice the swelling goes down, the pain is relieved and the redness or stiffness recedes.

One second ago, an enzyme in your body called superoxide dismutase (SOD) just chased out a cancer-causing toxin that your cell accidentally spawned. You make all sorts of enzymes, and what's cool is that you can also buy certain enzymes as a dietary supplement, including SOD. Lactose is an enzyme that chews up milk sugars, helping some people to tolerate milk. Bromelain, derived from pineapples, helps with allergies and helps people post-surgically. It might even reduce scarring if taken soon enough. People who take acid blockers could benefit from papain, an enzyme derived from papaya fruit that works nicely with your stomach's pH range.

Proteolytic enzymes another type of enzyme. They chew up proteins and help with digestion. I think they're great for chronic pain syndromes. They help dissolve fibrin deposits which helps bruising. As a teenager (way back in the 1980's) we played a game called Pac Man. Remember?(Please tell me you remember). This popular arcade game included a Pac-Man which traveled a maze and gobbled up ghosts. I was a monster at Pac-Man in my hey day! Proteolytic enzymes work in the same way, they just gobble up debris, as opposed to ghosts.

With less debris, there is improved circulation. That means more oxygen and healing nutrients to the site of injury. As a pharmacist, I recommend you reach for proteolytic enzymes before you NSAIDs such as acetaminophen, naproxen or ibuprofen. Why? Because they are temporary and they have side effects. It's the equivalent of applying a bandage, and while most of you fair out well, the unlucky few experience diarrhea, nausea, headaches, dizziness, bleeding ulcers or heaven forbid, kidney damage. Besides, if you mask your pain with medicine, but continue to operate as normal, you increase your risk of permanent damage.

A German paper studied proteolytic enzymes in 100 athletes. The results were shocking. More than 75 percent said the enzyme treatment was favorable and no side effects were reported! So incredible were the results that the German government sent millions of enzyme capsules to the Olympics to help their athletes heal quicker.

Enzymes are a necessity to life, just like oxygen, food, clean water and shelter. (Some may argue that chocolate should be included as well).

For chronic pain syndromes, as opposed to digestive issues, I recommend that you take your proteolytic enzyme supplement on an empty stomach. This increases the 'Pac-Man' effect by up to 40 percent. While these supplements are generally well-tolerated, I occasionally hear of allergies, rashes and digestive upset.

You're methylating right now! This means you're turning folate (vitamin B9) from your food, into something else called SAMe. It's the process called "methylation" and SAMe is your body's head honcho, the CEO if you will!

SAMe stands for S-adenosylmethionine and drives hundreds of chemical reactions in your body. If you ate a salad for lunch, you're turning that folate into SAMe as we speak. Well, let's hope because SAMe helps you get rid of poisons. The biggest mistake you could make is thinking that methylation problems don't apply to you because you don't have the gene mutation, what we call the genetic snp (pronounced "snip"). Nothing could be further from the truth. As a pharmacist, and a Functional Medicine practitioner, I assure you that your medicine has the capacity to mess up your methylation! Then poisons back up.

Don't think you make poisons in your body because you eat well and exercise? Wrong. Your cells churn poisons out as metabolic waste products probably a million times a minute! You better hope and pray your methylation pathway is up to snuff because if you don't methylate, toxic by-products build up all over your body. This equates to pain, depression, inflammation, elevated homocysteine, cognitive dysfunction, depression, higher risk for neural tube defects and much more discomfort. If you have the genetic snp it's a one-two punch for health problems galore.

So in summary, medications hinder your methylation pathway, whether or not you have a snp. These are the primary offenders:

Cholestyramine. This is a bile acid sequestrate used for reducing cholesterol as well as reducing Herxheimer (die-off) reactions. It is a drug mugger of folate and fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin D, A, E and K. Remember, no folate, no methylation!

Birth control or hormonal replacement drugs with estrogen. these drugs are known drug muggers of magnesium, B6 and B2 (riboflavin); that puts the breaks on methylation. Started 'The Pill' recently, and now you feel down in the dumps? This could be why.

Nitrous oxide. Been to the dentist lately? If you got NO gas, then no methylation took place for awhile!

There are hundreds of other medicines that hinder your ability to methylate, snp or not! You may not have your genetic details or tests yet, so here are clues to poor methylation: Nerve pain, numbness or tingling, chronic fatigue, anxiety, insomnia, depression, mood swings, attention problems, cervical dysplasia, miscarriage, brain fog, weakness and lots of allergies.

Dallas went to school in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, graduating high school as Co-Valedictorian with his twin brother Daniel. When they graduated in 1970, the Clouatre brothers occupied two of the top three academic performance spots in the State of Oklahoma earning both National Merit Scholarships. Dallas attended Stanford University as an undergraduate, majoring in History. He started out as a pre-med major, thus establishing his foundational understanding of biology, chemistry and physiology.

Upon successful completion of his BA degree, he enrolled in graduate school at UC Berkley, studying European Intellectual History. He received his Ph.D. from Berkeley in 1990. Professor Martin Malia, his thesis director, observed that the scope and the scholarship of Dallas’ thesis was so vast and incisive that it could have resulted in three PhDs.

Dallas was the unacknowledged assistant to Professor Malia in writing the mysterious article signed only as “Z” that appeared on the 1990 Op-Ed page of the New York Times. That famous Op-Ed correctly predicted the fall of the Soviet Union despite all of the contrary pronouncements at the time from the US Intelligence Community. (Inasmuch as the excerpt was faxed to the New York Times from Dallas’ Berkeley apartment using Daniel’s fax machine with his name clearly printed at the top of each page, the fact that they did not learn the identity of “Z” until almost a year later when Professor Malia revealed his authorship perhaps serves as a commentary on the investigative powers of that newspaper.)

After Dallas finished his graduate program, he taught history at the University of San Francisco and UC Berkley.

In 1990, a chance meeting with Mrs. Jan Babin, then Sr. VP of Country Life, introduced Dallas to the dietary supplement industry. Her husband, Marvin Babin, hired Dallas to write a booklet on the immune system for his
own company. Afterwards, Dallas continued to work occasionally with the Babins and Country Life until 1998.

Dallas was instrumental in bringing (–)-hydroxycitric acid to market in the United States. He first worked with Renaissance Herbs ca. 1993 and then, in 1994, Skip Seroy hired Dallas to work for InterHealth to promote their newly-launched HCA product. Dallas wrote their technical guide for HCA and spent almost a year on PR tours traveling with a Sports Illustrated Cover swimsuit model promoting HCA (1995). After that, Dallas went back to Country Life and created the BioChem line of products with Jan Babin.

Dallas met Jarrow Rogovin at an industry trade show in 1998 and began working with Jarrow Formulas shortly thereafter.

Dallas spent most of his adult life in northern CA, and some in Los Angeles while working with Jarrow Formulas.

In 2011 Dallas moved to Seattle where, along with Daniel, he also served as a Partner of Glykon Technologies Group, LLC, a raw materials vendor. In this capacity, he is listed as an inventor on twenty US patents and patent applications.

As was the tradition of the European intelligentsia, Dallas loved food and cooking and understood that food offered unique insights into culture.

Dallas was a prolific researcher, writer, product formulator and marketer. Among his many professional accomplishments, he was a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition and his paper in Toxicology Letters still serves as the position paper of the World Health Organization regarding the safety of Kava Kava. Dallas worked as an Associate Editor for TotalHealth Magazine for over 15 years, as well as serving on the Editorial Advisory Boards for Nutritional Outlook Magazine and Recent Patents on Cardiovascular Drug Discovery.

In summary, Dallas was a brilliantly intelligent man who truly embodied the term polymath, one who excels in many fields.

He is survived by his brother Daniel.

Dallas Lavoe Clouatre, of blessed memory, may he rest in peace 12/25/1951–7/29/2018

According to a recent article in Newsweek
Magazine the answer is yes, but I don't think
all of the information has been gathered yet.
The article is entitled "The Doctor (Watson)
Will See You Now" and it generates some
interesting concerns. Over 80 percent of
illness is preventable and yet we only spend five percent of
health dollars on prevention. And, over 60 percent of adults
have a chronic disease with healthcare costs slated to reach
100 percent of our GNP by 2065, according to a leading
British economist. The current healthcare system is broken
and must be improved, but is artificial intelligence by itself
going to be the answer?

First, one of the AI developers is working with the Cleveland Clinic, which could be good if it is the Cleveland Clinic group working on Functional Medicine.

Secondly, the article admits that diabetes is reversible, but also indicated that it is rarely treated that way. This reminds me of a quote from Dr. Mark Hyman during a Senate Health Committee hearing when he said, "We will not solve the current health care crisis if we just continue to do the wrong things better." Here are a few things Dr. Hyman was referring to:

We cannot continue to use outdated diagnostic tools that are only able to identify diseases that have already started. This is totally unacceptable when we now have proven tests that can find cells misbehaving five to ten years before a disease begins.

And, why do we continue to treat the symptoms of illness with drugs that usually don't address the cause of the problem and often create terrible side effects?

Artificial Intelligence platforms can help to improve health
and reduce cost, but only if they use Functional Medicine
where the platform finds most disease before it starts (80
percent are preventable) and reverses the rest with only
safe, effective and less costly protocols based on Functional
Medicine. There is such a platform and it has now been
shown to reduce cost by over 15 percent per year. This was
accomplished by using an artificial intelligence wellness
platform with 20,000 employees over a five-year period.
If you would like to demo this amazing program, please
contact us.

Caring for our selves and finding ways to handle
our stresses are clearly important practices for
assuring our long-term health. They are definitely key
aspects of Preventive Medicine, Along With the right nutrition
and exercise programs for our body, getting proper sleep, and
maintaining a positive attitude toward our self, others, and
the world. Learning the individual lifestyle path that generates
health rather than disease is really the finest art of medicine and
personal development, and an extremely important process in
which to invest. Let's look at ways to protect our body and heart
from the negative effects of stress and to create better health.

A self-inventory
One of the first steps in stress reduction is an honest inventory
of where we are. Ask yourself:

What is my biggest life challenge now?

Is anything very out of balance in my life? If so, what is upsetting me?

Why don't I feel fully relaxed, happy, and able to sleep well?

What do I need to do to restore balance?

Is there anything I can do something about?

For most of us, the key life challenges are in areas of:

Health–how we care for ourselves and the result we hu-manifest,

Career–what we share with the world and the support that is returned, and

Relationships–how we give and receive love.

If we can master these three primary areas of life, some might
say we're near enlightenment.

Expectations
One of the sources of stress is inner tension between what we
expect of ourselves and what actually happens. Often these
expectations are quite unconscious. It's important to identify
unspoken expectations or attachments. Sometimes we need to
work a little harder to bring reality in line with our expectations—
and to really go for our dream.

Letting Go
At other times, we need to develop more detachment to let
go of counter-productive thoughts or desires. In this effort, a
meditation practice can be very valuable. All the major religions
of the world include some type of meditation or prayer. Your
practice can be aligned with your spiritual beliefs.

Types of Stress (adapted from the Anti-Stress Program of
Staying Healthy with Nutrition textbook)

Stress comes in many forms. For example, many of us are
surprised to learn that intense joy is a source of stress, but since
it requires more of our body and mind, it genuinely qualifies as stress (with an increased heart rate and the manufacture of
certain neurotransmitters, such as adrenaline). Exercise can
also be a stressor even though it is great for us. This is because
of the repetitive movement in certain areas of the body, and
because we create and release more free radicals and toxins
into the blood and tissues. This biochemical process can best
be handled by being sure you drink enough water and take
antioxidant nutrients, such as vitamins A and C. According
to researchers on stress, the most optimal combination for
vitamin C is to pair it with the bioflavonoid, quercetin.

The various types of stress and some of the factors that
contribute to them include:

Mental—high responsibility; financial or career pressures; working long hours at mental tasks, perfectionism, anxiety, and worry

Biochemical—deficiencies of vitamins, minerals, specific amino acids, protein, or fats and fatty acids; food allergies; genetic errors in metabolism that can result in alcoholism, other addictions, or mental illness

Toxic—environmental pollutants such as pesticides, cleaning solvents, and other toxins; non-organic foods with additives; and the use of chemicals such as prescription and OTC drugs, in cosmetic and hair products, and overuse/abuse of sugar, alcohol, caffeine, or nicotine

What is Stress?

Please realize that stress is not dictated by situations or
incidents themselves; rather, real stress comes from the way
we react to the issues of our lives. For stress to negatively
influence our health, we must experience something as danger.
If we experience a threat as stress, we may go into fight-or-flight
mode, which shifts us into the sympathetic (adrenaline) side
of our nervous system. That means our body actually prepares
to battle or run, i.e. "fight or flight." Our circulation slows and
there may be greater muscle tension; our digestion slows down,
heart rate goes up, and we begin using up important nutrients.
Often immune function is affected—our level of T-cells may
even be depressed. And clearly then, we are more prone to
become ill or "catch whatever's going around."

Sometimes there's no way around stress. For example, when
a child falls on the playground, or we're putting out a fire, our body
prepares us for the emergency so we can respond immediately.
That's the way it should be as this level of response/reaction
allows us to be more alert and ready for action.

But sometimes stress is subtler—and it may be more
psychological or emotional. When there really is no physical
danger, our body may still react as if there is. Then, if there's no
physical activity to provide an outlet for the increased internal
activity, the response may remain inward and play havoc with
our physiology and organs, as well as with our emotions and our
mind. At that point, we run the risk of exhausting the adrenal
glands and flooding our body with metabolic toxins, such as
damaging free radicals (associated with the aging process and
diseases such as heart disease and cancer). This example also
shows the reason why "a walk to cool down" really is a good idea.

When we're under emotional or mental stress, and still stay
in a relaxed mode, we can respond more calmly and experience
less emotional and biochemical wear-and-tear. Then our body
doesn't shift into full battle mode and begin pouring out the
chemical signals that we're in danger and must react. This
relaxed approach usually leads to a better outcome as well.

Anti-Stress Nutrients
Many anti-stress formulas are based on the B-complex
vitamins and vitamin C because these important nutrients are
all significantly depleted by stress. In addition, stress-related
problems may be compounded by deficiencies resulting from
generally poor nutrition. All of the B vitamins are important
here—especially pantothenic acid (B5). B5, folic acid, and
vitamin C are essential for the functioning of our adrenal
glands. The adrenals carry perhaps the greatest load when our
body is under stress.

The B-complex vitamins are ideally taken two or three times
a day, particularly when we are under a lot of stress. This is
especially important if the stress lasts over a period of months—
for example from a big project at work or a challenging job,
a chronically ill child or parent, unemployment, divorce—any
of the life events that tend to deplete us over time. It's best
to take the B-vitamins before dark so that we don't become
over-stimulated when it's time to wind down and relax. I do
suggest more minerals in the evening, as they tend to help with
relaxation, especially a calcium and magnesium supplement.
However, most vitamins and minerals are best assimilated if
they're taken with a meal.

Note: Prolonged stress or lack of sleep can lead to a myriad of health
problems. If these issues do not resolve with home treatment, you may
need to see your doctor or other health professional.

Stress is a funny word. Loaded with the
emotional bias of being a “bad”
thing, the word stress can be quite
deceiving, making it harder to handle than it needs to be. So
we will offer a new way to look at it—and very effective ways
to address it.

As the healing arts grows, it is important to remember that
there are four key domains in healing:

Biochemistry. This includes herbals, nutrition and medications.

Structural. Including areas such as manipulation, surgery, breathing, exercise, and ergonomics.

Biophysics. For example, Acupuncture, Chakra work, Yoga, and NAET.

Mind-Body-Spirit. Understanding how the body is a metaphor for what is occurring at a deeper level. For most illnesses, including anxiety and even cancer, complete healing is unlikely to occur unless this is also attended to.

You will find that healing occurs best when all four of these
areas are addressed. No individual healer is likely to have
complete expertise in all of these areas. As our new healthcare
system evolves, and the current one heads to extinction, it is
good to see health practitioners from diverse backgrounds
communicating and working together more.

So let's look at how a Comprehensive Medicine approach
works when addressing anxiety and stress. I will focus
predominantly on mind-body and biochemical aspects, as
these are where my expertise is.

Treating Mind-Body Issues
Stress is not inherently good or bad. In fact, stress can be used
to force flowers to bloom, and this analogy applies to people as
well. The problem is when stress becomes chronic, and is no
longer enjoyable. This then contributes to chronic elevation of
the stress hormone cortisol, directly triggering anxiety. As the
excessive stress becomes chronic, cortisol levels then go too
low—ironically also triggering anxiety by causing recurrent bouts
of low blood sugar.

A simple way to tell if stress is healthy? Simply check in to see
how it feels. If it feels good, it is healthy. What is enjoyable can
vary markedly from person to person. For example I enjoyed the
stress of skydiving, while for my wife it would feel awful.

A Novel Treatment
The key stress antidote? Check in to see how things feel. This
is so important, that I am being purposely redundant. Learn
to say NO to things that feel bad. Leave your brain out of it.
Our brain is the product of our societal and family training. It
simply feeds back to us what we were taught that we should do
to make others happy. Our feelings, on the other hand, tap into
our own personal authenticity. So choose to focus on, and do,
those things that feel good. Once you've determined what feels
good, then your mind can figure out how to make it happen.

And yes, it is OK to simply choose to focus on what feels
good in life, without being in constant battle mode against
things you don't like. Like food choices at a buffet, we don't
have to protest for the removal of those foods we don't choose
to eat. Simply ignore them and pick those things you like. You
will find that the rest will soon stop appearing in your life. This
is part of how I suspect “free will” works. Our focus is like the
remote control on our TV. What we focus on keeps showing up
on our screen. This is why our constant “Wars on…” just seem
to create more of what we are attacking.

Is it truly OK to do what feels good? Some will make the
argument that “Heroin feels good, and perhaps also smacking
that person who makes me angry over the head with a two-byfour.”
This is why we add two caveats:

Don't hurt others.

Ask yourself “How is that working out for me?”

Doing this, people will find their anxiety is often coming from
their choosing what they think they should do over what feels
good (i.e. doing what others want, instead of what is authentic
to them). Notice if you are constantly feeling, “I should do this,
or I should do that.” This is euphemistically called “Shoulding
on yourself.” I invite you to change that toxic behavior.

If hyperventilation is present, one will usually have buried
feelings that are bubbling to the surface during periods of
relative calm. Counseling to help them learn to feel their
feelings helps over time. Also, as panic attacks often leave
people feeling like they are going to die, understanding that the symptoms are not dangerous helps. Simply being told this
may not be enough to reassure you though. You can confirm
hyperventilation is the cause by breathing rapidly for up to
30–60 seconds and seeing how it amplifies your symptoms.
Unfortunately, this can also precipitate a full-blown panic
attack, so be forewarned, and pick a safe time and place to do
this test!

My e-book, “Three Steps to Happiness—Healing through
Joy,” can help guide you through the mind-body healing process.

Balance The Biochemistry
Begin with ruling out and treating overt issues, including:

Overactive thyroid. Consider this if your Free T4 thyroid test is even in the upper 20th percentile of the normal range.

Low progesterone (women). Progesterone is like our body's natural Valium. Consider this if anxiety is worse around menses and ovulation.

Low testosterone (men). Consider if testosterone levels are in the lower quarter of the normal range.

Adrenal fatigue—caused by drops in blood sugar. A key tip-off? Irritability and anxiety that triggers sugar cravings and improves after eating.

Also optimize nutrient status, especially magnesium and B
vitamins. Instead of blood testing, which is of questionable
value here, I simply recommend (for most people—whether or
not they have anxiety) a high potency multi powder called the
Energy Revitalization System (by Enzymatic Therapy). With this,
one drink replaces well over 35 pills, optimizing levels of most
nutrients. Also have the person decrease sugar and caffeine
intake to see if this helps.

Herbals can also be very helpful. For example, there is a
unique extract, which can be as effective as Xanax, but is very
safe. This special extract stimulates one of the most abundant
neuroreceptors in the body, the cannabinoid receptors. Many of
you may recognize this as the marijuana receptor, and in fact
many people use cannabis to self-medicate for their anxiety.
But what if you could get the benefits without the sedation
and side effects?

The good news is that now you can. Recent research
showed that a special extract of the roots of the narrow leafed
coneflower (Echinacea angustifoliae) was more effective than
the tranquilizer Librium, with none of the side effects. It also
worked quickly, with effects building with continued use. This is
not the same component used for immune enhancement, and
isn't found at needed levels in standard Echinacea. It is available
though as AnxioCalm (by EuroPharma—20 mg per tablet).

Let's look at a few studies of this unique extract.
A study published in the March 2012 issue of Phytotherapy
Research included 33 volunteers. All experienced anxiety,
assessed using the validated State-Trait Anxiety Inventory
(STAI). The extract decreased STAI scores within three days,
an effect that remained stable for the duration of the treatment
(seven days) and for the two weeks that followed treatment.
There were no dropouts and no side effects.

So I begin with two tablets of AnxioCalm 2x day for severe
anxiety. After three weeks, the dose can often be dropped to
one 20 mg tablet twice a day. It can also simply be used as
needed, and serves as an excellent sleep aid.

Other helpful herbals include valerian, passion flower,
hops, theanine, and lemon balm. These can be found in a
combination called the “Revitalizing Sleep Formula,” which
helps anxiety during the day and sleep at night. I personally
use both AnxioCalm and the Revitalizing Sleep Formula at
night to ensure 8–9 hours of deep sleep.

The smell of lavender oil is also calming, and a small
drop on the upper lip, or even having a lavender bouquet in
one's room, can be helpful.

Structural And Biophysics
Simply going for regular walks in the sunshine, and doing
yoga, tai chi, and meditation can be very helpful. A technique
called centering can help people feel that they are in the calm
“eye of the cyclone” when panic attacks hit. In addition, it is
helpful to explore a technique called Butyko breathing, which
can be very helpful for anxiety and hyperventilation.

For PTSD or old emotional traumas, a technique called
EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) can give near miraculous
benefits in as little as 20 minutes (see EFT.Mercola.com). It
may seem odd, but try it and you'll be amazed. Releasing
old traumas through a simple “trembling” technique is also
helpful, and the person can do it on their own. It is easy and
simple instructions can be found in the book Waking the Tiger.

By having the entire healing arts toolkit available, and
not just using the “medical hammer,” anxiety can now be
effectively treated!

Not a month goes by without headlines in the media proclaiming
either that vitamins do amazing things or that they do nothing
at all. Such concerns no longer are limited to those whose
jobs are to raise such issues. Individuals purchasing health
foods and related products increasingly are asking questions
about the cost and effectiveness of supplements. Likewise,
governmental watchdog agencies, such as the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), expect that the manufacturers and
marketers of nutrients and herbs be able to back up claims
with sound research. Total Health Magazine Online took an
in-depth look at some of the issues back in 2011, for which see
“Are Vitamin Supplements Safe?”

Unfortunately, responses to these demands for better
backing for claims often are less than satisfactory. Marketing-driven
science is as common as is science-driven marketing.
Distinguishing between the two requires familiarity with the
standards that universities and research institutions have
adopted to evaluate medical evidence. This means knowing
about the types of studies available and about the elements
found in every properly designed study.

There are three basic types of clinical investigations: case-control
studies, cohort studies and randomized controlled
trials. For most nutritional supplements, the last of these is
the primary form of investigation. However, for completeness,
a few words should be spared to describe the other two.
Case-control studies start with individuals who have already
developed a disease or special condition and the controls are
matched individuals who do not have the disease in question.
An example is an analysis of heart disease rates in male
smokers versus rates in otherwise similar males who have
never smoked. This is an observational study because there
is no intervention by the researchers. The strength of this
study type is that it allows researchers to explore how variables
influence the development of the condition being examined.
The major drawback is that the study can easily be biased with
regard to observations and other factors.

Cohort studies differ from case-control studies in that
researchers start with individuals who have not yet developed
the disease or condition being investigated. Hence, a cohort
study on athletic supplements might start with two groups
of similar athletes before one group begins supplement
use. The analysis would consist of determining whether the
group taking the supplement improved as measured by some
marker for performance or perhaps had fewer injuries. This
is an observational study because there is no intervention by
the researchers. Cohort studies have the virtue of allowing
investigators to more reliably establish whether a particular
action (taking a supplement) leads to a particular outcome
(fewer injuries). However, cohort studies may require years
of following the subjects and also depend upon the subject
populations being properly identified as identical with regard
to the studied condition(s) at the start of the study rather
than being weighted with some underlying predisposition. In
other words, it is easy to introduce bias into cohort studies.

In many ways, the “gold standard” of investigational
studies is the randomized placebo-controlled double-blind
clinical trial. Ideally, the trial population is relatively
uniform to start. Subjects are then randomly assigned to
active and placebo arms, further helping to reduce any bias
or predisposition in the groups being tested. The test is
double-blind, meaning that neither the participants nor the
investigators know who is taking the compound being tested.
Finally, inasmuch as there often is a large psychological effect
(the placebo or “sugar pill” effect) during the first weeks of
a study, there is an arm of the trial that receives an item that
appears to be identical to the compound being tested, but
which has no effect. Note that this is an intervention study—
the research actively intervenes by giving the compound to be
studied to one or more of the arms in the trial. The idea here
is to clearly demonstrate whether there is a cause and effect
relationship between the item being studied and the outcome
with the subjects. When possible, there is also a “cross-over”
phase in which, after a sufficient washout period, the group
that was used as the placebo arm becomes the active group
and the group that had been the active arm becomes the
placebo group. Not all studies lend themselves to this, but
cross-over studies insure that there are no unrecognized
predispositions in the subject that might bias the test results.
All of this sounds good in theory. Unfortunately, as shortly
will be shown, this “gold standard” of clinical trials still can
be biased in a variety of ways.

The design of trials involves at least one more component that
is important for evaluating whether the results of a given study
are weak or strong.

The first step in any clinical trial is the production of
a study protocol. This protocol presents three very
important elements. First is the hypothesis of the study:
what question is the study intended to answer?

Second is the study population: how and why were
subjects picked to be in the study; what are the criteria
for inclusion and exclusion; are special conditions
involved?

Third is the size of the study sample: how many
subjects are needed to insure that the results represent
true findings rather than mere chance? All studies
contain these three elements and the validity of these
components—was the study question correctly framed,
was the proper study population chosen, was the study
carried on for an appropriate period of time, were enough
subjects included to yield statistical significance, etc.—
are essential for evaluating the worth of the trial.

Before moving to examples of weak and strong of clinical trials,
a few words need to be said regarding statistical significance.
The usual cut-off level is given as “p< 0.05,” which means there
is only a five percent chance that the study findings represent
mere chance. Some statistical models are more strict than
others for performing this calculation, but readers actually need
to be worried about something else, which is the study sample
size. If a study uses, say, only seven subjects per arm, the small
size of the study means that the reported effect will need to be
very large to achieve statistical significance. Conversely, and
one sees this all the time in pharmaceutical studies, a trial monitoring 100,000 subjects may find significance for what,
in practice, are effects that are so weak that they are clinically
only marginally useful!

As noted above, randomized placebo-controlled double-blind
clinical trials are considered to be the ggold standardh
for research. Nevertheless, many such trials are quite weak
and misleading. For one thing, it all to often turns out to be
the case that the placebo is not actually inactive, for instance,
the practice of using maltodextrin or other sugars as the so-called
placebo in weight loss studies. Relatedly, especially in
studies involving weight loss, the placebo effect can be very
strong for many weeks. The placebo effect in diet studies
commonly leads to the loss of two pounds in eight weeks, and
much more if diet and exercise changes are included. A BBC
News report on the Internet (March 10, 2004) on trials of the
drug rimonabant noted that participants taking the placebo
were five pounds lighter at the end of one year. In some large
pharmaceutical diet trials in which subjects changed behavior,
diet and exercise, the weight loss in two months using the
placebo exceeded 11 pounds!

Similarly, if exercise is included in a weight loss trial
with healthy subjects, then LDL cholesterol, total
cholesterol, triglycerides and leptin levels normally
will go down, whereas HDL cholesterol will go up.
Moderately increasing the amount of protein in the diet,
likewise, will produce such trends. Hence, if a weight loss trial
includes exercise and a controlled diet with increased protein,
yet reports results opposite of these or fails to find weight loss
in participants using the placebo (as happened recently in a
highly promoted trial), then the reader should seriously wonder
whether there was a lapse somewhere in either design or
implementation because of the divergence from independently
established outcomes. Moreover, it is often the case that even
the most rock-solid of results cannot be extrapolated from one
group to another. To stay with diet trials, studies performed in
Asia or Latin America usually cannot be applied to American
experience because the study populations and eating habits are
so different. One has the right to question the reproducibility
and applicability of studies.

Of course, many studies are very strong, although this, too,
can be misleading. A recent one measured the effects of short-term,
oral L-arginine supplements (12 g/d for 3 weeks) in 16
hypercholesterolemic men with normal blood pressure (BP).
In this randomized, double-blind, two-period crossover design
study, L-arginine tablets (1 g each) and matched placebos
(microcrystalline cellulose) were used. The researchers
demonstrated that the L-arginine supplement increased blood
plasma levels of L-arginine and significantly reduced systolic
BP (p<.05) and diastolic BP (p<.001), both at rest and during
acute laboratory stressors. BP reductions were associated with
a significant decrease in heart output (p<.01); these changes
were mediated by small reductions in the volume of blood
pumped with each heart beat (p = 0.07). These results were
reproduced when the placebo group crossed over, plus they
make sense in terms of what is known of the role of L-arginine
in the body. Note that this study examines only one intervention
which is tested in several ways rather than examining several
interventions (e.g., diet + exercise + compound). With only
one intervention, it is relatively easy to establish a clear cause
and effect relationship.

This arginine study is an excellent example of a good
study with strong results that can be completely misleading.
The study lasted only three weeks. Based on a large number
of similarly successful studies lasting only one or two months
at a time, the temptation is to conclude that supplementing
with L-arginine is a great recourse for those who are
hypercholesteremic, hypertensive, need a boost in exercise,
and so forth. Unfortunately, such conclusions would be wrong.
As uncovered by a researcher who had been a proponent of
L-arginine supplementation, long-term supplementation with
L-arginine—in this case, six months.may lead either to null
results or to actual harm—1 The body consists of a vast number
of interconnected metabolic processes that are taking place
simultaneously. A beneficial effect in one area sometimes
is followed by a not so good effect someplace else. Hence,
even with well-designed trials, there can remain hidden or
submarine issues of which we become aware only much later.

Judging a clinical trial first requires establishing what
type of test is involved—case-control, cohort or randomized
controlled trial—because the type of test is the first clue as
to how impartial the observations might be. Next, one must
look closely at the components of the trial—the hypothesis
of the study, the study population and the size of the study
sample. A lack of clarity or inappropriateness in any one of
these will reduce the quality of the data and undermine the
analyses, interpretations and extrapolations based on the trial.
Finally, clinical trials seldom exist in a vacuum. A given trial
needs to be evaluated in light of related trials, especially trials
conducted by researchers whose concerns and orientations
are different from those involved with the test being evaluated.
Readers interested in pursuing this topic are urged to examine
Richard K. Riegelman, Studying a Study and Testing a Test (6th
edition, 2012).

Antioxidants protect us. They are the sub-stances that naturally regulate the fires within our bodies.

The fires are sparked by metabolic errors in our cells—errors that are unavoidable as our cells make and use energy for the business of life. The fires can be managed when we are young and very healthy but become harder to control as we get older. Aging is not so much bad genes as it is a slow, inexorable, cumulative consequence of tissue damage from internal fires, sparked by these unavoidable errors of metabolism.

The sparks of metabolism come from living with oxygen. Our life forms breathe in oxygen and use it to do controlled “burns” that extract energy from our foods. Oxygen-based energy allows us to become more sophisticated than amoebas, but comes with a big price. Oxygen is so reactive that it draws single electrons to it, generating oxygen-free radicals within our cells. These “oxyrads” are our unavoidable “sparks of metabolism.” Antioxidants keep them from destroying our cells.

Our tiny metabolic sparks are generated at a steady rate, the oxyrads having single electrons which cause them to attack biological molecules. Molecules with single electrons are aggressive oxidants: they steal single electrons to become paired up. Antioxidants block this process by donating their own electrons.

The antioxidant defenses dare not fail. When they do, important bio-molecules lose single electrons, themselves become unstable, and initiate spreading chain reactions. A chain reaction that escapes control becomes inflammation, with cell and tissue death and progressive loss of functional capacity. Inflammatory events are our internal fires, opposed by antioxidant enzymes backed up by our dietary antioxidant intakes. Our antioxidant defenses give us power to head off degenerative disease and achieve long life.

By quenching the metabolic sparks, antioxidants are also our natural antitoxins. But if the oxygen-free-radical toxins were the only problem, we'd likely all live 120 years or more. Think about cigarette smoke—100 trillion free radicals per puff. A total 4,000-plus synthetic chemicals in everyday use; even drugs we buy over the counter set small fires. Not to mention the illicit “recreational drugs.” Even emotional stress can overheat our metabolism. In this crazy world it's not good to leave home without your antioxidants.

Infectious agents are consistently linked to inflammation. In 1990 I documented inflammatory depletion of antioxidants by HIV-1. Then there's Hepatitis C virus in the livers of four million Americans. The bacterium Helicobacter pylori accounts for the majority of inflammatory stomach and intestinal ulcers. About half of the chronically ill American veterans of the Gulf War have mycoplasmal infections. We also can't forget Chlamydia pneumoniae, the fungus Candida albicans and Giardia and amebic protozoal parasites.

Our own host immune system may trigger inflammation from over-reaction to resistant pathogens. The immune cells produce huge quantities of free radicals when on the attack. When pathogens are not easily eliminated, the immune oxidant production can get out of control, resulting in local exhaustion of antioxidant defenses and another inflammatory focus.

Almost every toxic substance steals electrons and therefore can deplete the body's antioxidants. Thus, the body's own efforts to process some substances can actually make them worse toxins. The P450 detoxification system, located mostly in the liver, combines oxygen with water-insoluble substances such as cholesterol, estrogens, pollutants, pharmaceuticals, even herbal constituents. They are made into free radicals, to be later combined with antioxidants and made water-soluble for clearance with the urine or bile. But things don't always go as planned.

The P450 system wasn't designed to deal with the huge mass of toxins that enter the body. Let's talk about acetaminophen. This legal, over-the-counter drug (Tylenol®) is made highly reactive by the liver P450 enzymes. Then it burns away glutathione, the major liver antioxidant, and begins to kill liver cells. Liver failure can result. Organochlorine pollutants, indoor pesticides, mercury and other heavy metals (and let's not forget alcohol and cigarette smoke derivatives) all deplete glutathione and threaten all the tissues.

The body relies on foods to replenish its internal antioxidant stores. From our whole, unprocessed foods come the antioxidant vitamins A, C and E; the antioxidant essential minerals, selenium and zinc and copper and manganese; the semi-essential antioxidants coenzyme Q10 (COQ) and alpha lipoic acid (ALA); lutein, lycopene and other carotenoids; the polyphenolic flavonoids and various substances from traditional herbs. These circulate in our blood and contribute integratively to the blocking of free radicals. But a growing body of research indicates we aren't getting enough from our foods for optimal protection against disease.

The healthy body tries to conserve the nutritional antioxidants through metabolic recycling. But still there is a “burn” on our reserves. Dr. Robert Cathcart, the foremost authority on vitamin C , speaks of a “hundred-gram cold,” an influenza so severe it can burn away 100 grams (not milligrams) of vitamin C in just a day or two. A flu attack can be held to just a few days instead of a few weeks by taking lots of C and other antioxidants.

Integrative medical practitioners report that just about all their patients benefit from supplemental antioxidants. Vitamin E has been known for decades to be lifesaving against heart disease.Most of the health food community thinks of vitamin E as tocopherols. But tocotrienols are legitimate members of the vitamin E family and are excellent antioxidants. They are under clinical investigation for benefit against atherosclerotic blood vessel disease and experimentally for the slowing of cancer cell growth and proliferation.

Stephen Sinatra, M.D., a cardiologist and leader in the practice of integrative medicine, has long been a booster for COQ. I can relate to this because I also see COQ's fantastic promise. As I read about health care costs soaring through the roof, I wonder why COQ is not being fortified in our foods to lower gum disease, to improve heart and blood vessel health, to boost immunity and fight cancer development, even (yes!) to lengthen everyone's productive lifespan.

Coenzyme Q10 is unique as a potent antioxidant and indispensable energy catalyst (only ALA has a similar double role). Many of Dr. Sinatra's patients are very deficient in COQ. People taking statin drugs, beta-blockers or certain of the anti-depressants may have their internal COQ synthesis blocked. For them and probably for many of the sick and elderly, COQ is practically a vitamin. Any insufficiency of COQ can endanger the heart through impairing its energetic capacity.

Dr. Sinatra has linked much of the heart disease he sees in women to COQ deficiency. More than 100 clinical studies document that COQ improves congestive heart failure, angina, high blood pressure. About 15 percent of Dr. Sinatra's patients do not improve satisfactorily on COQ alone; these he gives carnitine and then improvement usually occurs. He also sees in the clinical evidence a potential link between poor COQ status and cancers, especially in women.

Selenium is an essential trace mineral, required through the diet though only in small quantities. Selenium has importance for human health that belies its plain mineral status. It is specific for the active sites of the antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase (GP). GP is a central player in control over free radicals.

In 1996 a major paper appeared in the prestigious (and conservative) New England Journal of Medicine, making an almost unbelievable claim. It described a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial in which more than 1,300 subjects were followed for up to 10 years. Dietary supplementation with selenium produced a 50 percent reduction in total cancer mortality. The incidence of cancer was reduced by one-third. Lung, colorectal and prostate cancer incidence were markedly reduced. The material used was SelenoExcell™, an organic selenium concentrate that resembles the selenium found in food.

The carotenoids are, like vitamin E, fat-soluble antioxidants. One of them—lycopene—has been linked to exciting early results against prostate cancer. A small but controlled, clinical trial focused on male subjects undergoing surgery for prostate cancer. Half were offered a dietary supplement of LYC-O-MATO®, a standardized natural tomato extract with four times the typical lycopene content. PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) levels and prostate tumor size were significantly reduced, compared with the control subjects.

More recently, in a placebo-controlled, crossover trial, LYC-O-MATO® also showed good results in lowering high blood pressure. Its natural combination of lycopene with other plant nutrients may offer a unique synergy for the protection of our health against free radical and other toxic damage.

Lutein is the only carotenoid found in high concentrations in the retina, a thin cell layer at the back of the eye which constantly takes a high dose of light radiation. Macular degeneration destroys the retina and afflicts one out of four Americans over age 65. Lutein is being researched for its capacity to protect the retina and the lens of the eye and it also has anticancer potential.

Grape seed extracts are concentrates of flavonoid polymers. When the great scientist Albert Szent-Gyorgyi received the Nobel Prize for discovering vitamin C, he commented that he had expected to get it for discovering the flavonoids. The small polymers (oligomeric procyanidins) and polyphenols in grapes work synergistically with vitamin C to conserve the functions of the blood vessel linings and walls. Some of these flavonoids also have antiviral and possible anticancer actions.

As scientists continue with their dedicated investigations of food constituents, the latest phytonutrient star is rosmarinic acid (RA). This substance is extracted from a naturally high-yielding strain of oregano and also occurs in thyme and rosemary. All three of these plants have been revered for their medicinal properties literally for centuries. RA appears to have anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties, while its high antioxidant potency has proved useful for stabilizing vegetable oils against frying. It has been prepared as a powder without solvents or other processing chemicals. Antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral effects are also being investigated.

Antioxidants are, together with phospholipids, nutrients with profound nutraceutical potential. Whether supplementation with these nutrients will extend the maximum lifespan remains to be proven. Certainly the clinical and experimental studies suggest that functional deficiencies of these nutrients result in cell-level dysfunctions with the potential to spark inflammation that progresses to life-shortening degenerative disease.

We need to keep the fires within us at a very low ebb lest they develop into the raging infernos of uncontrolled inflammation. Consumption of a variety of functional foods and supplements enriched with these nutrients will help keep that doctor away.

Phospholipids, Functional Partners of Antioxidants

by Parris M. Kidd, Ph.D.

Within the cells, circulating lipoproteins, digestive fluids and elsewhere in the body, phospholipids co-occur and co-function with antioxidants. The phospholipids (pronounced fos-fo-lip-ids) self-assemble into membranes and other multidimensional structures, together with antioxidants to protect them against oxidative destruction. This partnership between nutrient classes profoundly influences the health of the whole being.

The cell membranes are dynamic molecular assemblies that house life's plethora of biochemical processes. Our 100 trillion cells all rely on membranes to carry out their functions. Cell membrane organization is shown on the left of the illustration. Catalytic proteins are housed within a flexible bilayer (two molecular sheets), the phospholipid matrix. The matrix also houses antioxidants, including tocopherols and tocotrienols of the vitamin E family; lycopene, lutein and other carotenoids and ubiquinone (coenzyme Q10 or COQ). Also present is the antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase, using selenium as its mineral co-factor.

Phospholipids (PL) are the most biochemically-suited building blocks for membranes. The right side of the illustration shows the molecular plan of a common membrane PL such as PS (PhosphatidylSerine)or PC (PhosphatidylCholine).

The fatty acid tails often are highly unsaturated and therefore susceptible to oxyradical or other oxidant attack. The more unsaturated the membrane, the more antioxidant protection is required. The PL head groups each bring special properties to the membrane. In PS the head group has serine, in PC it has choline. The “prophospholipid” GPC (GlyceroPhosphoCholine) has the choline head group but lacks fatty acid tails, and is absent from the membrane proper.

PS is most concentrated in nerve cell membranes. Its head group associates with membrane proteins particularly crucial to nerve cell functions. These include:

The sodium-potassium AND calcium-magnesium transporters that use up to 70 percent of all the cell's energy;

Proteins of the mitochondrial membranes, central to energetics. Here PS also is a backup for other phospholipids.

These membrane-level functions of PS translate to health for the whole being. Double-blind trials (20 of them) show PS a superior nutrient for memory support, for partial restoration of declining cognitive function, for coping with stress in the healthy young. Preliminary research suggests PS can improve attention, learning and behavior in children.

The energy for life is generated in cell membranes. In the process oxygen radicals (“oxyrads”) are generated which are highly reactive. However good the antioxidant defenses are, some oxyrads escape control and attack membranes. Thus the brain, with its intense energy generation (up to 60 percent of the body's total), must continually renew its cell membranes. Antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, the minerals selenium, zinc and manganese, the energizers COQ and alpha-lipoic acid, the carotenoids lutein and lycopene, standardized polyphenolic flavonoids and other food borne antioxidants, all synergize with PS to help optimize brain functions.

The liver is our workhorse organ; its cells contain a total eight football fields worth of membrane area, to perform 500 different functions. In its efforts to detoxify foreign substances it generates a further oxidative load on top of its usual oxyrad burden. Oxidants from foods, viruses, pollutants and drugs challenge the liver's antioxidant capacity. Though the healthy liver is well endowed with antioxidants, oxidant overload can kill cell membranes. Enter PC (PhosphatidylCholine), the most common phospholipid of membranes.

The liver also carries a substantial reserve of GPC, which is readily converted into PC to make membrane. It is the most bioavailable source of choline to help the liver cells regenerate and perhaps for similar reasons is highly concentrated in mother's milk.

Taken by mouth, GPC quickly clears the blood-brain barrier to reach the brain. Working through various mechanisms, it sharpens attention and immediate recall in young, healthy subjects. In the middle-aged it benefits information processing and general mental focus. In the elderly it improves declining cognitive functions linked to circulatory damage. GPC's support for nerve cell functions, including a protective role as osmotic buffer, make a convenient biochemical fit with the antioxidant defenses operative in the brain.

Functional partnership between phospholipids and the antioxidants is not limited to membranes. The circulating lipoproteins produced in the liver (HDL, LDL and others) are made mostly from PL building blocks. Dietary PL facilitate normal, pro-homeostatic lipoprotein status, probably through their support of the liver.

The LDL are the main vehicles for delivery of fat-soluble antioxidants—E, COQ, alpha-lipoic, carotenoids, others—to the tissues. In all of 12 double-blind trials, phospholipid mixtures lowered abnormally high total- and LDL- cholesterol without harming the HDL levels. In another double-blind trial, PL significantly improved blood flow to the brain and improved abnormal platelet aggregation. These marked circulatory benefits of the PL clearly complement antioxidants' benefits for the circulating lipoproteins and blood vessel walls.

Phospholipids combine with antioxidants in facilitating digestion. The bile fluid is essential for fat digestion and absorption. Bile has a large content of PL, functioning with the antioxidant taurine as micellizing agents to fully disperse the fat molecules. Fatty acids of the omega-3 or omega-6 class make up many of the phospholipid “tails.” These are held in position by their parent PL molecules while enzymes break away prostaglandins (PG) and other messenger molecules. Membrane antioxidants help regulate the PG formed, to support a favorable balance.

The natural co-functioning of phospholipids with antioxidants in our cells and tissues suggests combination supplements for synergistic benefits. In particular, a new technology (NutriVail™) employs custom phospholipids to make monomolecular dispersions of antioxidants, with the aim of substantially enhanced bio-availability and unique clinical benefit.

Peer-reviewed publications available on request. Dr. Kidd is scientific consultant to Lipoid USA.

Recent scientific studies showing a clear association between lutein intake and a decreased risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts are capturing the attention of both consumers and their eye doctors. The need is growing clearer:

One out of four people aged 65 or older has early signs of AMD.

One out of two people aged 65 or older has a cataract or cloudiness in the eye's lens.

As the largest population group in the United States ages, many people are facing the likelihood of what some simply accept as part of aging, vision loss.

A Food and Nutrition Board report found that lutein is the nutrient most strongly associated with decreased risk of AMD and cataracts.

Lutein and Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Prevent Blindness America estimates that 13 million people in this country have evidence of AMD, a condition that gradually destroys central vision. While the exact cause of this debilitating condition is still unknown, family history and age are known factors.

Lutein is found in the macula's “yellow spot,” a tiny region at the center of the retina. This tiny yellow spot filters blue light for the color vision cells within the retina. The researchers found that lutein is deposited in the retina and macula, increasing its density and protecting the tissue from oxidation by filtering blue light and quenching free radicals.

Experts say that by the time a person exhibits symptoms of AMD the disease has been developing for decades. Baby Boomers are showing concern about their aging eyesight and stocking up on supplement products formulated with lutein to reduce risk of age-related macular degeneration.

Lutein and Cataracts

While cataracts generally occur in people over the age of 65, they are occasionally found in younger people as well. A cataract is a clouding that develops in the normally clear lens of the eye. This process prevents the lens from properly focusing light on the retina at the back of the eye, resulting in a loss of vision.

Lutein's link to cataracts is recent but well documented. Studies published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that women with the highest intake of lutein and its fellow carotenoid antioxidant, zeaxanthin, had a 22 percent reduced risk for cataracts; men had 19 percent reduced risk.

“Many people have been told that nothing can be done about cataracts—that they are a natural effect of the aging process,” says Robert Abel, Jr. M.D., author of The Eye Care Revolution and member of the Lutein Information Bureau Advisory Board. “But they're now finding out that dietary changes, including consumption of lutein, may have a significant impact on risk reduction.”

At the same time, consumers are taking charge of their eye health and seeking out possible solutions. A recent independent survey of consumers shows lutein awareness at 44 percent across all age groups and at more than 57 percent among consumers aged 65 years or older.

Mounting scientific evidence also has convinced eye doctors of the many benefits of lutein, with 84 percent currently recommending lutein to their patients, according to an independent survey of 300 U.S. ophthalmologists and optometrists.

These eye doctors also support use of lutein for long-term eye health (91 percent), believe consumers should supplement their diet with lutein daily (71 percent) and believe lutein is the nutrient that best supports long-term eye health (58 percent).

What is lutein?

Lutein (LOO-teen) is a nutrient found predominantly in vegetables, particularly in dark green, leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale. Lutein belongs to a class of natural, fat-soluble pigments called carotenoids. It promotes long-term eye health in two ways. First, acting as a light filter, lutein protects the eyes from some of the damaging effects of the sun. Second, as an antioxidant, it protects the eyes from the damaging effects of aging.

Lutein is found naturally in the human body. In fact, it is the only carotenoid found in large quantities in the retina and at low levels in the lens of the eye. The human body is unable to manufacture lutein, however, so the body must rely on the consumption of lutein-rich foods or lutein supplements to replenish lutein levels and counteract oxidative damage from light as well as the effects of aging.

A 1994 Harvard University study by Dr. Johanna Seddon pointed first to lutein's important role in maintaining long-term eye health. Since then, more than a dozen scientific studies published by such peer-reviewed medical journals as the Journal of the American Medical Association, Archives of Ophthalmology and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition have continued to show an association between lutein intake and various long-term eye health benefits.

Editor's Note: Look for a good quality supplement combination of Lutein and Zeaxanthin containing either FloraGLO® brand lutein or Lutemax 2020 and Zeaxanthin. Check our Products We Like section for more information on recommended products

The good news is that there is clinical proof you can build a powerful antioxidant defense system against prostate cancer. By incorporating LYC-O-MATO® (standardized natural tomato extract) into your daily nutrition program you can access remarkable fighting power against prostate cancer and a host of other degenerative diseases.

The standardized natural tomato extract contains several phytonutrients found in tomatoes including lycopene, tocopherols, vitamin E, phytofluene, phytoene, phytosterols, beta carotene and more. LYC-O-MATO is extracted from non-GMO tomatoes grown in Israel that contain four times the lycopene content of tomatoes grown elsewhere.

A six-year Harvard Medical School study of healthy males found that consuming tomatoes, tomato sauce or pizza more than twice a week, as opposed to never, was associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer of 21 to 34 percent, depending on the food.

As exciting as its cancer-prevention potential is the evidence that shows lycopene may help fight existing cancer. A recent paper published in the Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention by Omer Kucuk, M.D., professor of medicine and oncology, and his colleagues at the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, Michigan, evaluated the effect encapsulated LYC-O-MATO had on patients with existing prostate cancer. In this study, Dr. Kucuk and colleagues followed 30 men with localized prostate cancer who were scheduled to undergo surgical removal of the prostate. For three weeks prior to surgery the study participants were randomly assigned to receive either 250 milligrams LYC-O-MATO from LycoRed Natural Products, Beer-Sheva, Israel (which contains 15 milligram of lycopene) twice daily or no intervention. Following removal of the prostates, the glands were analyzed to determine whether there were any differences between the two study groups.

The investigators found that the treated group had smaller tumors, which were more likely to be confined to the prostate. Levels of serum PSA were found to decline in the patients who received LYC-O-MATO tomato extract. In addition, the tumors in patients who consumed this natural lycopene showed signs of regression and decreased malignancy.

“This was the first published report from a randomized prospective clinical trial showing the efficacy of a tomato extract supplement against prostate cancer,” said Dr. Kucuk. “Previous reports were largely epidemiological studies showing an association between consumption of tomato products and decreased risk of prostate cancer. Furthermore, our findings suggest that a tomato extract in the form of LYC-O-MATO may not only help prevent prostate cancer but also may be useful in treating prostate cancer.”

Research using standardized LYC-O-MATO natural tomato extract is also good news for mild hypertensive patients reluctant to make lifestyle changes.

Findings published in the The American Journal of Hypertension provide evidence that LYC-O-MATO may help lower blood pressure in hypertensive patients. The study, presented at the Sixteenth Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society of Hypertension on May 18, 2001, may provide a new alternative for about 50 million Americans who have hypertension.

Americans interested in lowering their risk of high blood pressure are frequently encouraged to exercise and follow a low-fat diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Typically, however, many are reluctant to make changes in their lifestyles. In fact, according to NOAH, an online health resource maintained by City University of New York, only 68 percent are aware of their high blood pressure condition and only 27 percent have it under control. High blood pressure contributes to 75 percent of all strokes and heart attacks.

Now there is a natural alternative to controlling hypertension that may prevent Americans from making difficult lifestyle changes and/or taking drugs with harmful side effects.

In a single-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial, Esther Paran, M.D., the study's principal investigator, evaluated the effect of LYC-O-MATO® on grade 1 hypertensive patients. In this study, 30 grade 1 hypertensive patients between the ages of 45–60 were administered a daily dose of identical placebos for the first four weeks of the study, followed by a 250 mg daily dose of LYC-O-MATO® for the final eight weeks of the study.

Preliminary results of this study indicate a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure in treated patients. “We are optimistic about LYC-O-MATO'S potential in managing hypertension,” Dr. Paran said. “The results of this study demonstrate the ability of LYC-O-MATO® to reduce systolic blood-pressure, warranting additional studies in the future.”

Other recent studies suggest that LYC-OMATO ® also provides a considerable level of defense against degenerative diseases including heart disease. Considering the results of these studies, combined with its positive effects on blood pressure, the importance of maintaining a normal level of natural phytonutrients like lycopene, phytoene, phytofluene and beta carotene in the human body is evident. It is recommended that individuals consume at least 80–250 mg of LYC-O-MATO® per day, which contains 15 mg of lycopene as well as other phytonutrients, to maintain good health.

www.lycomato.com, or visit the American Society of Hypertension Web site at www.ash-us.org

Several years ago, epidemiologists studying heart disease in Europe noticed something strange—high fat leads to heart disease, right? Not in France. The French eat a large amount of cream, rich sauces, delicious desserts and a wide variety of tasty cheeses. Yet heart disease is lower in France than the rest of Europe. This phenomenon is called the French paradox. Check this out—the French imbibe more wine than the rest of Europe.

The goodness of wine—flavonoids

What's in the wine? Water, alcohol and several other compounds (such as sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, tartaric acid) and more importantly flavonoids. Flavonoids are a large group of phenolic compounds that occur in fruits, cereals, legumes, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, stems and flowers and also in beverages such as tea, cocoa, beer and wine. Flavonoids have several properties that could prevent heart diseases. They are antioxidants that help with the oxidation of low-density lipoproteins (LDL). They also have anti-inflammatory properties and a beneficial effect on blood vessels as well.

Grape seed—a vital source of flavonoids Grape seeds contain 5–8 weight percent of flavonoids. Commercially available grape seed extracts such as MegaNatural™ Gold (Polyphenolics, Madera, California) are a rich source of flavonoids. Benefits of flavonoids For several years scientists at the University of California-Davis have studied the effect of flavonoids from grape seeds on blood vessels and how it can reduce cardiovascular risk factors. Loss of endothelium-dependent relaxation (EDR) due to atherosclerosis is the primary cause for the formation of plaque in coronary arteries that leads to heart disease. EDR is caused by the release of nitric oxide (NO) from endothelial cells of the blood vessel. Experimental evidence led to the speculation that the release of NO could be mediated by a series of events that are initiated by a receptor, which is specific to flavonoids. EDR can be readily demonstrated by control experiments using established procedures. The effect of flavonoids on EDR was studied in detail over the past several years. Previous studies regarding the effect of flavonoids on EDR yielded conflicting results, possibly due to the variations in he quality of the extracts examined. However, recent studies using the commercially available grape seed extract MegaNatural Gold provided conclusive evidence that flavonoids have a protective effect against the development of endothelial dysfunction.

In the experiments, a group of rabbits fed only with cholesterol showed loss of EDR. But, a group of rabbits fed with both grape seed extract, MegaNatural Gold and cholesterol showed no loss of EDR, proving the protective effect of the grape seed extract, MegaNatural Gold.

Antioxidant activity of grape seed extracts Another study at the University of Scranton has demonstrated the superior antioxidant activity of grape seed extracts (GSEs) overwine, grape juice, vitamin C and vitamin E. Commercial products like MegaNatural Gold were used for both the in vitro and in vivo studies.

In one such study, a significant increase in the blood plasma antioxidant activity was observed within one or two hours after the consumption of grape seed extract. Nine human volunteers were given a 600 mg dosage of GSE and by using the RANDOX bio-assay study an increase up to 12 percent of blood plasma antioxidant activity was observed. This dosage could be correlated to drinking 300 ml of red wine or consuming 1250 mg of vitamin C.

In order to determine the GSE dosage that is required to have a higher bio-availability of polyphenols in blood plasma for improved antioxidant activity, nine subjects were given varied dosages of the flavonoid, epicatechin. Epicatechin is one of the flavonoids present in all grape seed extracts. The in vivo antioxidant study has shown that a dosage of 300 mg was more effective than 200 mg. In fact at 300 mg the antioxidant capacity in the blood was still increasing after four hours, indicating that at this dose the antioxidant effect will remain in the blood for six to eight hours.

A long-term study involving a dosage of 2 x 300 mg⁄day of GSE with 17 human volunteers was also conducted to understand the beneficial effect of GSE in reducing high cholesterol. Patients with high cholesterol experienced a decline in total cholesterol up to 12 percent and a corresponding decrease up to 16 percent in LDL, the so-called “bad cholesterol” as well.

These studies have once again confirmed the long-term effect of GSE s in controlling the level of cholesterol and triglycerides and reducing the risk of heart disease.

Implications for heart disease Endothelial dysfunction (loss of EDR) exists in hypertensives, diabetics, smokers, postmenopausal women and individuals with hyperlipidemia. All of these conditions are potential cardiovascular risk factors. Experimental evidence leads to the belief that polymeric flavonoids as a part of the diet may have a protective effect against the development of endothelial dysfunction. These findings, along with the established anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of flavonoids, could be a possible explanation for the French paradox.

A substitute for aspirin for heart health?

Many individuals take an aspirin a day to prevent their blood from becoming too “sticky.” Technically they are trying to prevent an increase in platelet aggregation. Blood platelets are like tiny band-aids in that they help to seal wounds by causing the blood to clot. Unfortunately, if the platelets clump (aggregate) too readily, they can cause a great deal of damage to the arteries. They can further the development of arterial plaques and they can reduce the flow of blood through the capillaries. Diabetics and smokers are two groups which commonly suffer from poor circulation and excessive platelet aggregation. Not surprisingly, both groups suffer from elevated rates of damage to the arteries.

Aspirin may provide some potential benefits for the heart, but it also has a number of side effects. The best known of these are damage to the stomach and the small intestine, but there are other dangers such as excessive bleeding (an increase in bleeding time—including inside the eye) and a reduced rate of repair to the tendons and the joints.

Do we really need these side effects? Of course not. Grape seed extract provides extended protection against platelet aggregation without causing any unwanted increase in bleeding time. A number of tests have confirmed this protection including human trials conducted by Serge Renaud of the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research. Dr. Renaud demonstrated that grape seed extract can protect against the rebound in platelet aggregation which follows the ingestion of alcohol. Moreover, the compounds found in grape seed extract have a special affinity for the surfaces of the vascular system, the “pipes” as it were, of the body. This special affinity appears to improve the elasticity and the permeability of the capillaries, veins and arteries—the entire vascular system. Grape seed extract protects the ground substance (the proteoglycan matrix) of the blood vessels directly while at the same time it reduces the unwanted adhesion of platelets and other blood components. The suggested intake for these benefits is 200 to 300 milligrams (mg) per day.

“The finding that selenium, an essential nutrient posing negligible risk at the 200 mcg intakes studies, can substantially cut the risk of death from cancer is really a revolutionary finding. I cannot think of any other agent, nutritional or pharmaceutical, that is proven to cut the deaths from cancer by half in any human population anywhere in the world. “These remarkable clinical outcomes with selenium for cancer prevention are not a deviation from other research with selenium conducted with animals, with selenium-antioxidant enzymes, with cells in culture. Yet the potential they represent for cutting the emotional, spiritual and financial costs that cancer imposes on human society is almost beyond belief. Just shut your eyes for a moment, take a deep breath and think of all the people you have known who suffered and died from cancer.”

—Parris M. Kidd, Ph.D., science editor Total Health

SCIENTISTS FIRST CALLED SELENIUM TOXIC. THEN FOLLOWING ITS RECOGNITION FOR ANIMAL HEALTH, RESEARCHERS IDENTIFIED IT AS AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT FOR HUMAN GROWTH.

Now investigators wonder where the health benefits of selenium stop. The first selenium function in animals wasn't discovered until 1973. Dr. John Rotruck and his colleagues at the University of Wisconsin demonstrated that selenium was incorporated into molecules of an enzyme called glutathione peroxidase (GPX). This vital enzyme protects red blood cells, cell membranes and sub-cellular components against undesirable reactions with soluble peroxides. The discovery of GPX opened the door to our understanding of how selenium is protective against cancer, heart disease, arthritis and accelerated aging.

This much misunderstood trace mineral may not gain the status of a drug simply because its primary role is disease prevention. Wherever soil is rich in selenium, certain diseases of livestock are virtually non-existent.

But how could selenium, provided in dosages less than the weight of a paper clip, protect a 150-pound human from disease?

Selenium and Cancer

In what was called the most startling cancer prevention study ever published, University of Arizona and Cornell University researchers recently discovered that selenium food supplements significantly reduce the incidence of nearly all forms of cancer. In 1996 researchers Larry Clark, Gerald Combs and Bruce Turnbull of Cornell University reported on the 10-year use of a 200 microgram supplement of protein-bound selenium among 1312 patients with a history of basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer. While selenium had no effect upon skin cancer, it had a startling effect upon other types of tumors.

A Harvard researcher was quoted as saying: “If the effect of selenium is this large, it would be more important than anything else we know about in cancer prevention.” The results of the multi-center study were so surprising, many health researchers still want more proof.

Larry Clark, the senior researcher in this study, remarked that the type of selenium used in this study is not commonly found in all vitamin supplements. It's a special type of selenium that is grown organically in yeast. “Most of the selenium on the market is inorganic sodium selenite or sometimes they throw sodium selenite into yeast, but they are not bound together as the yeast grows, yet it is still called high-selenium yeast.”

Which type of selenium supplement?

In plant foods, selenium is bound to an array of amino acids (methionine, cysteine, others) and is thus a more stable form. In 1984, a MIT study determined that organically-bound forms of selenium are able to increase the body selenite exchangeable pool size about 70 percent more effectively than inorganic selenite or selenate. The superiority of protein-bound selenium is demonstrated in recent study where selenium-enriched broccoli was shown to inhibit colon tumors in rodents. Researchers observed that selenium-enriched broccoli is more effective than inorganic forms of selenium against colon tumor formation.

Another example of the superiority of protein-bound selenium over inorganic selenium has become apparent in studies of eye disease. One report suggests that “dietary supplementation with selenium should be explored as a means of preventing macular degeneration.” However, researchers have found that blood levels of selenium were lower among patients with macular degeneration even though seven of 10 patients studied took selenium supplements, mostly consisting of 80 micrograms of inorganic selenium (selenate). Lack of consumption of selenium does not appear to be the problem in these cases. Researchers surmise that the form of selenium is of importance. Some studies report that even 200 microgram doses of inorganic selenium fails to increase blood plasma levels of selenium in the eye, while amino acid-bound selenium increases plasma and whole blood levels.

Consumers should look for organically-bound selenium in supplements rather than the inorganic forms (selenite, selenate). The question is how to duplicate the same selenoproteins provided in plant foods in a food supplement?

Slow-growing Saccharomyces cerevisiae, baker's yeast, is employed to bind amino acids naturally with selenium. Some selenium food supplements only mix inorganic selenium with yeast but this is a shortcut that fails to do what nature does—slowly incorporate selenium into an array of about 20 amino acids. Yet the label on these food supplements may still read “selenium yeast.”

Numerous food supplements provide selenium bound only to one amino acid, selenomethionine. But the food supplement that dramatically reduced the cancer risk in 1996 employed a form of selenium bound to a full array of amino acids, like in foods. Only one brand of food supplement provides this complete food-form selenium, called SelenoExcell.

Due to years of misinformation the word “yeast” draws the attention of some consumers who believe they must avoid yeast products. Beneficial nutritional baker's yeast does not contribute to yeast infections such as Candida albicans. Selenium yeast is carefully pasteurized and dried after it is grown. This kills the yeast and it can no longer grow or multiply. Brewer's yeast has been a staple of the health food industry since its inception and is no cause for concern.

Only one company is going through all the trouble to manufacture a consistently reliable form of selenium organically bound to a full array of amino acids as found in foods. It goes by the trade name SelenoExcell.™. All forms of selenium have health benefits. But we have to go with the science. Until we know more, look for that branded ingredient.

Bill Sardi is president of Knowledge of Health, San Dimas, California.

To protect ourselves we invest in lifestyle changes, exercise, a healthy diet and supplementation. Antioxidants are only one element in the big picture, so products with multiple uses are particularly useful. After all, there's a limit to the number of supplements we can swallow in a day, let alone afford, so we need to supplement wisely. For example, consuming un-denatured whey protein raises intracellular glutathione levels and takes advantage of its three protective functions: T-cell synthesis, anti-oxidation and detoxification. Spirulina is an effective dietary antioxidant with dozens of well-known health benefits. Rosmarinic acid is another product that offers multiple advantages.

Rosemary and its cousins, oregano and thyme, have been known for their medicinal properties for centuries and rosemary oil has long been used in cooking, aromatherapy and in hair and skin tonics. It has been described traditionally as good for the skin, scalp, digestion and treatment of colds and is used as an antiseptic, stimulant and antispasmodic. Today medical scientists are particularly interested in rosmarinic acid for its anti-inflammatory, antiallergic and antioxidant properties.

Rosmarinic acid's multiple value also lies in its boxer's one-two approach: first, as a purely natural food additive it prevents or neutralizes the harmful oxidation that takes place while food is on the shelf, enhancing its quality and helping to prevent an additional tax on the body's over-burdened defense system. Then once the food is eaten, the same additive turns out to be a powerful dietary antioxidant. Of course it can also be used for direct supplementation. An added bonus is that rosmarinic acid does not interfere with intracellular oxidant-antioxidant balance and enables the immune system's phagocytes to use their free-radical weapons effectively against incoming disease organisms.

RA's antioxidant power

The most common free radicals attacking living tissue are reactive oxygen species (ROS)—or oxyradicals. They include the peroxyl, nitric oxide and superoxide-anion radicals plus singlet oxygen, peroxynitrite and hydrogen peroxide. Worst of all is the dangerous hydroxyl radical, formed by the combination of the weaker superoxide radical with hydrogen peroxide. Rosmarinic acid neutralizes the superoxide-anion and thus makes a major contribution to curbing oxidative damage in the body.

Rosmarinic acid also takes the heat of the more well-known antioxidants by getting into the fray and dealing with free radicals first, leaving vitamins C, E and others intact for later use. This extract is also one of the few antioxidants able to cross the blood-brain barrier and combat the superoxide radical in the brain, where researchers hope it may help prevent or combat such degenerative conditions as Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers at the Israeli biotechnology company, RAD Natural Technologies, discovered that certain natural species of the plant Origanum vulgare contained particularly high concentrations of rosmarinic acid. Without genetic modification the plant yields a highly purified extract that is effective in very low concentrations. With neither solvents nor processing chemicals, RAD Natural Technologies is able to preserve the integrity of the plant extract and produce a water-soluble powder that can alternatively be emulsified and thus dissolved in fats and oils. It is ideal for industrial applications. If you've always thought of antioxidants as pills and dietary supplements, think again.

The company's rosmarinic acid product is called Origanox and it is sold for food processing, cosmetic and dietary purposes. Its antioxidant properties preserve natural pigments, odors and flavors and also protect vitamins and other active ingredients from the degenerative effects of oxidation. It also possesses antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties and is easily absorbed into the skin, where it potentially supports to neutralize the harmful effect of ultraviolet radiation.

Rosmarinic acid maintains its electron-absorbing properties at sustained high temperatures. That means that when it is added to edible oils, the number of free radicals released by frying is diminished. It is stable for long periods and at temperatures as high as 180 C⁄356 F so it can be baked into foods without impairing its antioxidant properties.

In Summary

Free radicals come at us from every conceivable direction and we need a good variety of antioxidants to protect ourselves. Some, like glutathione, are produced by the body, and are dependent upon a supply of raw materials from dietary sources. Others, like vitamins C and E, are built into the foods we eat or supplement in our diets. We may not be used to thinking of food preservatives as health aids but rosmarinic acid is a valuable aid that supports to preempt free radicals before they form in stored food and prevents the most harmful effects resulting from cooking with all sorts of oils. It also functions as a powerful antioxidant with the rare ability to cross the blood-brain barrier.

The essential oil of Origanum vulgare is a powerful, anti-microbial agent and natural, antiseptic product. It has many, very promising applications in certain feed and food products besides being a flavor enhancer and therapeutic component in health food supplements. This potent and adaptable product promises to become a valuable addition to our preventive medicine arsenal.

Mention vitamin E and most people, even scientists, think alphatocopherol. It is only recently that scientists and now the consumers have been reminded that vitamin E is a family of compounds.

Tocotrienols are members of the vitamin E family. Unlike some vitamins which consist of a single compound, vitamin E consists of eight different compounds, four tocopherols and four tocotrienols (designated as alpha, beta, gamma and delta). Our food contains all eight compounds. Most vitamin E supplements, however, contain only alphatocopherol because it was thought that only this one was important. Emerging research proved this understanding wrong. In order to get the full spectrum of the many benefits of vitamin E we must use products that contain the complete family of tocopherols plus tocotrienols.

Tocotrienols are most abundant in cereal grains and the fruit of palm and are extracted commercially from palm oil and rice bran oil.

Tocopherols and Tocotrienols: Similarities and Differences

Each tocotrienol has similarities to the corresponding tocopherols. For this reason tocotrienols, like tocopherols, are excellent antioxidants. Tocotrienols however, have three unsaturated sites on the tail of the molecule. Scientists are discovering important and unique benefits of tocotrienols.

Underscoring the importance of taking the whole vitamin E family is the evidence that not only tocotrienols but even the other tocopherols have unique functions different from those of alpha-tocopherol. For example:

Gamma-tocopherol, not alpha, is the effective form for fighting nitrogen radicals which contribute to the development of arthritis, multiple sclerosis (MS) and diseases of the brain such as Alzheimer's.

Gamma-tocopherol and its major metabolite inhibit cyclooxygenase activity. This effect is very important because cyclooxygenase causes inflammation, which contributes to the progression of chronic diseases including heart disease and cancer.

High blood levels of gammatocopherol in men are associated with lower risk of prostate cancer.

The Science Behind the Unique Functions of Tocotrienols

Research produced evidence of the biochemical basis of the important and unique effects of tocotrienols. Tocotrienols and in particular gamma-tocotrienol appear to act on a specific enzyme called 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutarylcoenzyme A reductase (HMG-COA) involved in cholesterol production in the liver. Tocotrienols suppress the production of this enzyme, which may result in less cholesterol being manufactured.

Tocotrienols slow down the growth of some types of human cancer cells, and particularly breast cancer cells, while alpha, beta and gamma tocopherols are ineffective. Gamma-tocotrienol suppresses the growth of rat melanoma and human leukemia cells, human breast adenocarcinoma and human leukemic cells.

Benefits for Cardiovascular Health—Clinical Evidence

The strongest evidence yet for tocotrienols comes from a clinical study in which 50 patients had stenosis of the carotid artery. These patients, ranging in age from 49 to 83 years, were divided in two groups. One group received approximately 650 milligrams of tocotrienols plus tocopherols. The other group received a placebo. All patients were examined with ultrasonography which measures the narrowing of the carotid artery.

Placebo group: Fifteen patients showed worsening of the stenosis, eight remained stable and two showed some improvement.

Tocotrienol (plus tocopherol) group: Three patients showed minor worsening and 12 remained stable. What is remarkable is that 10 patients showed regression of stenosis—their condition improved.

The tocotrienol group had also significant reduction in TBARS, a test that measures oxidation. A tocotrienol-rich extract from rice bran oil reduced triglycerides and LDL in these patients. We are studying further these effects of tocotrienol-rich products from rice bran oil.

Topical Use of Tocotrienols

Tocotrienols, like tocopherols, protect the skin against damage from ultraviolet radiation, pollution, cigarette smoke and other stress factors. Topically applied tocotrienols and tocopherols penetrate the entire skin to the subcutaneous fat layer within 30 minutes and significantly increase the concentration of these antioxidants in the deeper subcutaneous layers.

Safe and Effective Use Levels

Tocotrienols and vitamin E in general have an excellent safety record.

How much tocotrienols to take? Please remember that tocotrienols are available commercially as mixtures with tocopherols. If you are at high risk for heart disease, you may consider levels up to 300 mg per day of tocotrienols. For the great majority of consumers who want to get the benefit of the complete vitamin E family, much lower levels may still provide benefits.

It is extremely important to take products that contain natural tocopherols plus tocotrienols. While our individual needs differ, the following general guidelines might help choose the right level for you.

The adequate level—the 100/100 system: Take 100 IU plus 100 mg of mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols. For healthy young adults with no family history of chronic disease.

The medium level—the 200/200 system: Take 200 IU plus 200 mg of mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols. For young adults with some risk factors and healthy people without risk factors up to 50 years old.

The high, yet very safe dose—the 400/400 system: Take 400 IU plus 400 mg of mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols. This is the level for people who, because of their family history for chronic disease, age, level of stress, diet and other factors, want to take a higher level.

Ten Additional Important Antioxidants

Coenzyme Q10 is an antioxidant compound similar to vitamin K and is naturally manufactured in the liver as well as every cell in the body. But even though COQ10 is produced in the body, many people have deficiencies, especially those suffering from cardiovascular disease and heart failure.

Every cell must have a way of obtaining energy. In cardiac cells, as well as throughout the body, oxygen-based production occurs within the cellular power plants called mitochondria. Here COQ10 provides essential energy in its most basic form—adenosine triphosphate (ATP)—the energy of life. Without adequate COQ10 as a cofactor, ATP synthesis slows down, eventually leaving the cell in a vulnerable state.

Dietary sources of COQ10 come mainly from beef heart, pork, chicken liver and fish (especially salmon, mackerel and sardines). Vegetarians typically will not get enough COQ10 unless they eat large quantities of peanuts and/or broccoli. The average person only gets five to 10 mg of COQ10 each day from diet alone. Most people would benefit from far more COQ10 than can be gleaned from the daily diet.

Although COQ10 can be synthesized by the body, many individuals are deficient in this vitamin. Illness depletes the body's stores even further. Taking cholesterol-lowering drugs such as HMG-COA reductase inhibitors can literally “kill” COQ10 synthesis. Other drugs, such as beta blockers and some of the older antidepressants, also interfere with COQ10-dependent enzymes, lowering its concentration in the body.

Any women taking a statin drug, especially those at high risk for breast cancer, should take at least 100 mg of COQ10 a day.

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is a very powerful nutrient and the premier water-soluble antioxidant. It participates in over 300 biochemical reactions in the body and is important in maintaining homeostasis as well as building tissue.

Death is inevitable if vitamin C is not provided. It is truly essential to human life. New research into the actions of vitamin C has sparked a greater understanding of the remarkable health-promoting properties of this essential nutrient. The new evidence validates that vitamin C supports cardiovascular and respiratory function, cognition, bone development and mineralization, vision and may even lower the risk of stress-related diseases and certain types of cancer.

Cardiovascular Health. High dietary vitamin C intake has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of death from heart attacks and strokes in numerous population studies. Also, researchers have found that vitamin C offsets spasms of the coronary arteries.

Collagen Maintenance. Vitamin C is important for the formation and maintenance of collagen, the intercellular cement that binds tissues together. Collagen provides tensile strength to bones, cartilage, teeth, tendons and ligaments. There is a positive association between vitamin C and bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women.

Cancer. Vitamin C functions as an antioxidant to protect cellular structures, including genetic mechanisms, an enhancer of the immune system and to protect against cancer-causing environmental irritants and pollutants. Many of the benefits of vitamin C supplementation stem from its antioxidant properties. The antioxidant properties of vitamin C become more important as aging occurs, especially if there is stress or disease.

Astaxanthin is a member of an elite class of carotenoids known as xanthophylls.

Astaxanthin is believed to be the most active of these carotenoids. Researchers have discovered that the most abundant and concentrated form of astaxanthin is found in the natural, renewable material extracted from microalgae.

Because of its unique molecular structure, astaxanthin is unlike any other antioxidant in that it can perform a wide variety of tasks including:

increasing HDL (good cholesterol)

increasing strength and endurance

stimulating the immune system

protecting and enhancing eye health.

Astaxanthin has been shown to perform effectively the three key tasks of an antioxidant: quenching, scavenging and trapping free radicals. Astaxanthin is more powerful than many other carotenoids because:

its low molecular weight allows it to actually cross the blood-brain barrier, making it available to the eye, brain and central nervous system

it is more resistant to damage, allowing it to scavenge longer and trap more types of free radicals

it acts like a bridge, transporting free radicals along its long chain to water-soluble antioxidants like vitamin C inside and outside of the cell.

Acetyl-L-carnitine is a special form of carnitine that has the particular ability to optimize brain function. Acetyl-L-carnitine is able to cross into the brain more effectively than regular carnitine. It therefore enhances brain cell function much better than regular carnitine. As we age, acetyl-L-carnitine levels in our brains go down and for optimal brain function, supplements of acetyl-L-carnitine become mandatory.

Acetyl-L-carnitine acts in many ways to prevent the deterioration of brain cells that normally happens with age. It does this in many ways. It acts as a powerful antioxidant, provides the brain with healing energy and increases levels of a very important messenger molecule called acetylcholine. It is acetylcholine which becomes deficient in the brains of Alzheimer's patients and that is why these patients have such poor memory function. By increasing levels of acetylcholine, acetyl-L-carnitine helps the memory work better and may help prevent Alzheimer's disease as well.

Green tea is the antivirus, anticancer, super antioxidant. It is the most popular of Asian drinks and has been known for centuries to have a long list of health benefits. Interestingly, after water it is the most widely consumed beverage on the earth.

Dr. Earl Mindell states, “The antioxidants specific to green tea are polyphenols, bioflavonoids that act as super antioxidants by neutralizing harmful fats and oils, lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, blocking cancer-triggering mechanisms, inhibiting bacteria and viruses, improving digestion and protecting against ulcers and strokes. The specific type of polyphenol found in green tea is called a “catechin.”

Other ingredients in green tea include the green chlorophyll molecules but also important are the proanthocyanadins similar to those found in grape seed extract, pine bark, bilberry and gingko. The specific tea is a variety called Camellia sinensis. Camellia sinensis in the West is known as black tea, such as Earl Grey tea, orange pekoe tea or English breakfast tea.

The antioxidant properties of green tea are responsible for its most important benefits. The Chinese always claimed that tea slows aging but it was not until we understood the role of oxidation in aging and the antioxidant function of flavonoids that we knew how this mechanism might work. Researchers at University of California- Berkeley found that green tea extract was the best at scavenging the deadly hydroxyl radicals. Three diseases that we focus on regarding green tea are heart disease, AIDS and cancer.

GREEN FOODS

It is well known now through modern research that green foods are rich in vitamins, minerals and enzymes. They help protect against cancer, heart disease, digestive problems and many other modern disorders. Green vegetables are excellent sources of complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, beta carotene and chlorophyll. Possibly most important of all, they have potent antioxidant activity. Besides, they are low in fat and high in nutrients, an excellent combination.

The importance of green foods in the diet is now being validated scientifically worldwide. It is amazing how long it takes us to discover that foods were made correctly in the first place. They contain exactly what we need in their natural state. We have to find a way to take advantage of the whole foods naturally made and most of us are not doing that presently with our diets. In fact, it would be difficult for anyone to eat green plants to equal the amount of nutrition in concentrated green food supplements. So until you are ready to sidle up to a fivepound salad of spinach, watercress, alfalfa and kelp, the concentrated supplements mentioned here are probably your best source for the vital nutrients you need from green foods.

Alpha lipoic acid is a vitamin-like antioxidant that is produced naturally in the body and found in certain foods such as potatoes and red meat.

It is the only fat and water soluble free radical antioxidant, therefore, it is easily absorbed and transported across cell membranes, protecting us against free radicals both inside and outside our cells.

Alpha lipoic acid has been used for years throughout Europe to treat and prevent complications associated with diabetes, including neuropathy, macular degeneration and cataracts. Studies show that diabetics lower their insulin requirements; this also helps reduce complications.

An abundance of promising research has also shown the ability of alpha lipoic acid to inhibit replication of HIV and other viruses, to protect LDL cholesterol from oxidation which is associated with cardiovascular disease, to protect the liver from damage from alcohol or other toxins and also to prevent damage from radiation.

We do not obtain enough alpha lipoic acid through the diet to obtain this protection, so supplementation is required—100 to 200 mg daily. Therapeutic doses are higher.

Essential for many cellular functions, glutathione is a tripeptide of connected molecules composed of three nonessential amino acids: cysteine, glutamic acid and glycine.

Without glutathione people suffer from an inability to detoxify metabolic wastes and in eliminating toxic substances like heavy metals and other environmental poisons. This may lead to heart disease, joint disorders, cancer and problems with the endocrine, immune and nervous systems.

Even healthy people under stress can become subject to a disrupted balance. They could be sick or battling an inflammation or infection, or healing from an injury, while more free radicals are created and must be eliminated. Glutathione will do the job. It will also seek out the free radicals formed when people are exposed to cigarette smoke, alcohol, mercury, air pollution, food additives, pesticides and ultraviolet light.

Needed cofactors that properly assist glutathione function are the following: alpha lipoic acid, riboflavin (vitamin B2) and the minerals selenium and zinc, of which selenium is a vital component.

Extracted from the bark of Pinus maritima, the coastal pine tree found in abundance in southern France, pycnogenol is made up of a combination of flavoids that occur naturally in small amounts in some fruits and vegetables. However, antioxidant-rich fruits, vegetables and nuts lose their potency when they are harvested, processed, frozen and cooked. A study in the British scientific journal, The Lancet, showed that risk of heart disease was 50 percent lower in populations that consumed high amounts of flavonoids (at least 30 mg a day) than groups that took in low amounts of these antioxidants.

Decades of laboratory research and clinical studies conducted by Dr. Jack Masquelier show that pycnogenol contains approximately 40 natural ingredients including proanthocyanadins, organic acids and related bioavailable components such as glucosides and glucose esters. It is a potent antioxidant that protects against free radicals, has been shown to be many times more powerful than vitamin C or vitamin E and has the added benefit of working synergistically with many nutrients that support health.

Millions of people in Europe and the United States, athletes in particular, rely on pycnogenol to maintain skin health and overall health during the aging process. It is one of the best tried-and-tested products in its category, non-toxic and non-carcinogenic.

Garlic is the most studied herb in history. It has more benefits than any other single food. Tradition has told us that garlic has beneficial effects on health and longevity. Science is beginning to validate many of these claims including garlic's ability to prevent heart disease, fungal overgrowth and infectious diseases, the ability to remove toxic metals from the body and its powerful antioxidant and anticancer effects.

A Summary of Garlic's Many Benefits Includes:

having been shown to have powerful immune-boosting properties and may be valuable in fighting off viral infections such as the common cold.

having been shown to help lower blood pressure in those with hypertension.

working as a natural antibiotic and reducing the number of harmful bacteria in the body.

reducing blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels and has been shown to limit the deposition of plaque on artery walls.

having been shown to help the body eliminate parasites.

reducing the amount of the yeast, Candida albicans, in the human GI tract and has been shown to be beneficial in fighting systemic yeast infections.

having been shown to lower blood sugar and be of significant benefit to diabetics.

having been shown in population and laboratory studies to help prevent a wide variety of cancers.

Editor's Note: We highly recommend the most studied garlic supplement on the market. Kyolic AGED Garlic is Organically grown, and aged up to 20 months to enhance the nutritional value of the garlic, remove its pungent odor and make it gentle on the stomach. Kyolic is heavily researched with over 750 scientific studies.

"The Grain Brain Whole Life Plan provides a step-by-step, proven approach that will help you reclaim and sustain health, vitality, and happiness for a lifetime." Melissa Hartwig, author of Food Freedom Forever and coauthor of The Whole30

"Dr. Perlmutter, an acclaimed neurologist, has for years been a pioneer of the gut-brain connection. In The Grain Brain Whole Life Plan, he combines his clinical expertise, insights into the latest scientific developments, and immense compassion into a powerful prescription for brain health." David S. Ludwig, MD, PhD, professor, Harvard Medical School, and author of Always Hungry?

"Dr. Perlmutter's groundbreaking work has changed the way we think about inflammation—its causes and the damage it can do. I've gotten tremendous benefit from his books and The Grain Brain Whole Life Plan gives us simple and direct ways to prevent and treat diseases in easy and delicious ways." Bonnie Raitt

"Dr. David Perlmutter is one of the first people to not only suggest that modern degenerative diseases are likely caused by poor diet and alterations in gut health, but he has produced clinical research indicating these conditions may be avoided or reversed by altering one's diet and lifestyle. The Grain Brain Whole Life Plan is the culmination of more than 35 years of clinical practice and research that will help you look, feel and perform your best." Robb Wolf, author of The Paleo Solution

"Dr. Perlmutter sifts through the emerging research on how to create brain and body health. And he created The Grain Brain Whole Life Plan, a manifesto for the new medicine, the roadmap for how to care for the one precious human life that you have. If you want to live strong, feel good, boost your brain function, and become more connected and engaged to your own life, then you need a plan. This book is that plan." Mark Hyman, MD, author of Eat Fat Get Thin and director of Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine

"If everyone were to follow The Grain Brain Whole Life Plan, there would be a dramatic reduction in obesity, diabetes, cancer, dementia, arthritis—in short, the world would be a better place." Dale Bredesen, MD, professor and director of Alzheimer's Disease Research, UCLA

"The Grain Brain Whole Life Plan presents a comprehensive, practical, step-by-step approach aimed at people suffering from a variety of chronic neurological, psychiatric, and medical conditions. Dr. Perlmutter not only gives specific dietary recommendations, including a diet rich in plant-based fiber, but also prescribes important lifestyle changes such as physical exercise, stress reduction, and improvement in sleeping habits." Emeran A. Mayer, MD, author of The Mind Gut Connection and director of the Oppenheimer Center for Stress and Resilience at UCLA

Medical Toursim: "If you're suffering from hair loss, a turkey hair transplant might be for you as they are more affordable"

Follow Us

The products and the claims made about specific products on or through this site have not been evaluated by The Wellness Imperative People or the United States Food and Drug Administration and are not approved to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other health care professional or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment. You should consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet, exercise or supplementation program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem.